Powerful 6.8 Quake Hits Waters Off East Timor

DILI – A powerful earthquake hit waters off East Timor on Tuesday, but officials said there was no threat of a tsunami. There also were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude of the quake at 6.8 and said it struck 171 miles from the capital, Dili.

It was centered 300 miles beneath the Banda Sea -- too deep to generate destructive waves, according the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

East Timor is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.