ISTANBUL 

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck northeast of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands on Monday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The quake hit at 1136GMT at a depth of 32.9 kilometers (20.4 miles) around 263 kilometers (163 miles) northeast of Saipan, according to the preliminary reports.

No immediate reports of damage or casualties were available, and no tsunami warning has been issued.

The Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated US territory in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, lies along the seismically active "Ring of Fire," an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

The region frequently experiences earthquakes due to friction between tectonic plates.