Earthquake

The undersea quake struck at 3.19am local time (5.19am NZ time), at a depth of 30.6 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

Its epicentre was 94 kilometres southwest of the Bougainville town of Panguna. The island sits to the northwest of the Solomon Islands. 

The impact of the quake wasn't immediately known.

It says the quake was 85 kilometres south south west of Dadali, and 160 kilometres west north west of the capital, Honiara.

The USGS located the quake at a depth of 10 kilometres.

The earthquake has claimed at least 10 lives in Chile.

The French High Commission had warned the people on the Marquesas Islands to prepare for waves of up to 1.4 metres last night.

The Geophysical Laboratory in Tahiti says waves of slightly higher than one metre can be expected in the Marquesas and no higher than 30 centimetres in the most populated parts of the territory.

The French High Commissioner called for people in the Marquesas not to stay on the coast last night and to check moorings.

Tsunami warnings were in place for much of the Pacific following yesterday's massive 8.3 earthquake in Chile.

The earthquake has claimed at least 11 lives in Chile.

The Pacific Tsunami warning Centre has now advised that there is no further tsunami threat for American Samoa as a result of the massive earthquake in Chile.

However residents have been advised to be observant and exercise normal caution if you are in or near the ocean.

The tremor at 2254 UTC was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometres.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii says waves of between one and three metres could hit French Polynesia.

Waves of up to a metre are forecast for New Caledonia, New Zealand, Fiji, the Samoas, the Cook Islands, Tokelau, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and the scattered islands over the north Pacific.

Smaller waves may hit Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

The 8.3-magnitude tremor was centred off the coast, about 144 miles (232km) north-west of the capital.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that "widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible".

One person was killed by a falling wall, and evacuation was ordered in coastal areas. Tsunami sirens were heard in the port of Valparaiso.

The earthquake struck just off the coast at 19:54 local times (22:54 GMT), about 55km west of the city of Illapel, the US Geological Survey said.

Officials said it was at the depth of about 10km.

The quake's epicentre was located 214 kilometres west of Honiara at an estimated depth of 10 kilometres.

Residents in the capital who felt the quake say it was strong enough to shake larger buildings and was followed by mild aftershocks.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says there was no threat of a tsunami from the off shore quake.

However, no tsunami warning was issued and no major damage was expected.

The seismic movement was recorded 56km north-east of Ndoi Island, according to the US Geological Survey.

It is believed no tsunami alert has been issued.

The quake struck around 417km south-east of Suva, the capital.

A Geoscience Australia spokesman said quakes were common in the area.

"Earthquakes of this magnitude are not at all unusual in that part of the world, and it was very, very deep so it's something unlikely to have any impact on the surface," he said.