Indonesia, Fiji, and Tonga shaken by series of powerful earthquakes

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      Several major earthquakes shook the South Pacific and Indonesian regions this weekend.

      A 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit the Lombok Island of Indonesia, located east of Bali, on August 19 at 6:56 a.m. (PT) about 63 kilometres (39 miles) northeast of Mataram at a depth of 27 kilometres (17 miles).

      It was preceded by a 6.3-magnitude quake that hit on August 18 at 9:10 p.m. (PT) about 58 kilometres (36 miles)  northeast of Mataram at a depth of 8 kilometres (5 miles).

      A 6.3-magnitude quake on Lombok Island on August 18 at 9:10 p.m. (PT).

      The island had previously been hit by two major tremblors, a 6.4-magnitude quake on July 29 and a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on August 5, which killed almost 500 people and left thousands homeless.

      Meanwhile, a series of powerful earthquakes struck the Fiji region, although they occurred hundreds of kilometres beneath the surface.

      An 8.2-magnitude earthquake east of Fiji on August 18 at 2:19 p.m. (PT).

      An 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck on August 18 at 2:19 p.m. (PT) about 361 kilometres (224 miles) east of Suva, the capital of Fiji, at a depth of 563 kilometres (350 miles).

      A 6.3-magnitude quake followed at 5:23 p.m. (PT) approximately 377 kilometres (235 miles) east of Suva at a depth of 561 kilometres (349 miles).

      It was followed by a third quake, registering as 6.8-magnitude, at 8:29 p.m. (PT) around 398 kilometres (247 miles) northeast of Suva at a depth of 422 kilometres (262 miles).

      A 6.8-magnitude quake northeast of Fiji on August 18 at 8:29 p.m. (PT).

      Due to the depths of the quakes, no tsunami warnings were issued.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook

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