CANBERRA, Jan. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale hit under the South Pacific near Fiji on Tuesday, but it is unlikely to trigger a major tsunami and there were no reports of casualties or damages from the region.

The US Geological Survey website reported that the tremor took place 579 km below the sea level at 22:13 GMT on Monday.

The quake occurred some 100 km northeast of Ndoi island of Fiji. And reports reaching here from Fiji quoted a seismologist at Fiji's Mines and Resources Department as saying the quake was too deep to have been felt any where in the Fiji islands.

Earlier, the Hong Kong Observatory said the earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale hit the seas near Guam at 6:25 a.m. Hong Kong time (2225 GMT Monday) on Tuesday.

It said the epicenter was initially determined to be 19.8 south latitude and 178.1 west longitude, about 430 kilometers east-southeast of Suva, Fiji.There have been no reports of casualties or damages from the region.

Other reports reaching here quoted the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center as saying that the quake is unlikely to trigger a major Pacific-wide tsunami.