The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami advisory for the State of Hawaii following an earthquake near the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.

The preliminary magnitude of the quake is 8.0, according to the Tsunami Warning Center, but the U.S. Geological Survey lists the magnitude at 7.8. The Geological Survey says the quake was 21.7 miles deep and occurred 180 miles north-northwest of Vanuatu.

The earthquake occurred at 12:03 p.m. Hawaii time. If a tsunami was generated the first waves would not reach Hawaii until 6:50 p.m. The Geological Survey says a second quake measuring 7.3 happened about 15 minutes later 206 miles northwest of Vanuatu.

The Tsunami Warning Center issued what it called an expanding regional warning and watch for parts of the Pacific located closer to the earthquake.

Vanuatu is 3,501 miles southwest of Honolulu.

The warning center said the warning is in effect for Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis-Futuna and Howland-Baker.

A tsunami watch is in effect for the Marshall Islands, Tokelau, Kermadec Islands, Pohnpei, New Zealand, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Australia, Niue, Cook Islands, Chuuk, Indonesia, Wake Island, Jarvis Island, Palmyra Island, Guam, Northern Mariana, Yap and Johnston Island.

The latest warning comes just two weeks after a quake of magnitude 8.3 rocked the South Pacific near Samoa, sparking tsunami waves that killed at least 178 people and devastated coastal villages in Samoa, American Samoa and in northern Tonga.

Meanwhile, the Geological Survey reported a strong earthquake struck south of the Philippines on Thursday morning local time.

The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 and was located in the Celebes Sea, 175 miles southeast of Jolo, Sulu Archipelago, and 730 miles south of Manila. The quake hit at 5:41 a.m. Thursday local time.

USGS did not report any damages or injuries.