Strong 6.1 quake off Ecuador coast

May 10, 2009

A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 hit an area off the coast of the South American nation of Ecuador, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, the US government reported early Sunday. The tremor, which occurred at 7:16 pm local time Saturday (0116 GMT Sunday), was located in the Pacific Ocean 599 kilometers (372 miles) west of the port city of Portoviejo, according to the US Geological Survey. The reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale, now used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.