The Hong Kong Observatory said the epicenter was initially determined to be about 350 kilometers (220 miles) south-southeast of Guam.

The Japanese agency said the quake was centered near Guam, a U.S. territory, and occurred at 11:09 a.m. Japan time (0209GMT). It said the information on the epicenter was provided by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center or PTWC in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Japan's agency did not issue an official tsunami warning, but said there may be a chance of one near the epicenter. However, a PTWC official said the quake probably did not create a tsunami, and the center had not received any reports of one.

"It's very unlikely any destructive tsunami was created by this earthquake," said the PTWC's assistant director, Stuart Weinstein. "It would have reached Guam by now."

"We haven't received any reports of tsunami activity in Guam, but we did hear that the earthquake was felt in Guam," Weinstein said.

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