A major, 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake prompted a brief “Tsunami Threat” for Tonga.

Preliminary reports from the U.S. Tsunami Warning System said tsunami waves were possible for coastlines within about 190 miles of the earthquake’s epicenter, including those on Tonga. The system issued an all-clear notice about an hour later, after a tsunami would have struck had one materialized.

Tsunamis are a series of long waves caused by a large and sudden displacement of water in the ocean, usually from a large earthquake on or below the ocean floor. Tsunamis radiate in all directions from the epicenter and can cause dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents that can last for hours or days.

The temblor happened at 1:18 a.m. Tonga time about 49 miles southeast of Pangai, Tonga, data from the U.S.G.S shows.

U.S.G.S. data earlier reported that the magnitude was 7.1.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

Aftershocks in the region

An aftershock is usually a smaller earthquake that follows a larger one in the same general area. Aftershocks are typically minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.

Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.

Pope Francis publicly acknowledged that this Lenten season is a time of healing for his soul and body.

On Sunday, the Vatican released the text of Francis’ prepared Sunday Angelus prayer. It is the seventh straight Sunday that his illness has prevented him from delivering the blessing from a window over St. Peter’s Square as usual. 

“Dearest friends, let us live this Lent as a time of healing, all the more as it is the Jubilee,” Francis said. “I too am experiencing it this way, in my soul and in my body.”

“That is why I give heartfelt thanks to all those who, in the image of the Saviour, are instruments of healing for their neighbour with their word and their knowledge, with kindness and with prayer,” he continued. “Frailty and illness are experiences we all have in common; all the more, however, we are brothers in the salvation Christ has given us.”

POPE FRANCIS’ DOCTORS CONSIDERED ENDING TREATMENT, SAID ‘THERE WAS A REAL RISK HE MIGHT NOT MAKE IT’: REPORT

His remarks then turned to world conflicts, with a focus on South Sudan, where he said “the war continues to claim innocent victims.”

“I urge the parties concerned in the conflict to put the safeguarding of the lives of their civilian brothers and sisters first; and I hope that new negotiations will begin as soon as possible, capable of securing a lasting solution to the crisis,” he said. “May the international community increase its efforts to address the appalling humanitarian catastrophe.”

POPE FRANCIS MAKES FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN FIVE WEEKS 

Faithful and pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican to follow on giant screens a live broadcast from Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, on Sunday, March 23, 2025, where Pope Francis made his first public appearance since he was hospitalized on Feb. 14 with bilateral pneumonia.  (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The 88-year-old pontiff is still recovering from a respiratory infection, according to the Holy See Press Office. He continues to be weaned off oxygen support during the day and night, and his blood levels are normal. However, his medical team has ordered a strict convalescence period of at least two months following his hospital release last week. 

Francis has shown “a truly surprising improvement,” the doctor who coordinated the pontiff’s five-week hospitalization said Saturday.

Surgeon Sergio Alfieri speaks to journalists on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in the entrance hall of Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, where Pope Francis has been treated for bilateral pneumonia since Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

“I find him very lively,” Dr. Sergio Alfieri said, after visiting the pope at his apartment in the Santa Marta Domus on Wednesday, three days after his release from Rome’s Gemelli hospital. “I believe that he will return if not to 100%, 90% of where he was before.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Mandalay in Myanmar on Sunday morning, the latest string of aftershocks.

The quake struck as emergency teams continued rescue operations in the hardest-hit areas of Myanmar following Friday’s massive 7.7-magnitude tremor, which has left at least 1,644 people dead and more than 3,408 injured according to the country’s ruling military junta.

There were no immediate reports of further damage after the latest aftershock.

Rescue efforts have been hindered by downed bridges, damaged roads, Unreliable communications and a civil war. According to local media many of Mandalay’s 1.5 million people were left sleeping on the streets as their homes were either brought down and they have been left homeless or in fear of the aftershocks.

The earthquake’s epicentre on Friday was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, toppling many buildings and damaging infrastructure, including the city’s airport.

Neighbouring China and Thailand were also shaken by the quake, with at least 17 people reported dead in Thailand and 83 missing, while a tower in Bangkok collapsed.

Many hard-to-reach areas have yet to be accessed, while many rescue efforts have been carried out by civilians working by hand, in 41-degree Celsius heat. According to Cara Bragg, the Yangon-based manager of Catholic Relief Services in Myanmar, who said, “It’s mainly been local volunteers, local people who are just trying to find their loved ones,” adding, “I’ve also seen reports that now some countries are sending search and rescue teams up to Mandalay to support the efforts, but hospitals are really struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, there’s a shortage of medical supplies, and people are struggling to find food and clean water.”

Meanwhile, Myanmar’s resistance announced a partial ceasefire on Saturday to facilitate rescue efforts.

The Shadow National Unity Government, which leads the fight against the military junta that took power in 2021, has announced that its armed wing, the People’s Defence Force (PDF), will halt offensive military operations starting Sunday in areas affected by the earthquake.