More Than a Dozen Earthquakes Rattle the Pacific Ring of Fire in 24 Hours

Thirteen earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or higher struck across eight countries along the Pacific Ring of Fire between Wednesday and Thursday, from Vanuatu to Alaska to South America, in a widespread burst of seismic activity.

Vanuatu and Tonga See Multiple Quakes in the South Pacific

The small island nation of Vanuatu recorded three earthquakes near Isangel. The first struck around 4 a.m. local time Thursday, measuring magnitude 5.2 about 47 miles outside the city. Two more quakes followed within the next three hours, registering magnitude 4.8 and 4.7. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, this section of the Australia plate is among the most seismically active regions in the world.

Farther west, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck Tonga, with an epicenter about 183 miles west-northwest of Houma. In Alaska, a magnitude 4.2 quake hit near Lake Louise, just outside Denali National Park, around 9 p.m. local time Wednesday. The USGS said more than 230 people reported feeling the shaking, including in Anchorage, roughly 114 miles south of the epicenter.

Central America and South America See a String of Moderate Quakes