Police and fire service officials in Vanuatu said they had not felt the quake. - AP (File Photo)

WASHINGTON A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu on Thursday, briefly prompting a tsunami warning which was later canceled.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 7.6, struck at 1714 GMT on Thursday and was centered 244 km northwest of Santo in Vanuatu, at a depth of 36 km, the US Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center for a brief time issued a warning for Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia but later canceled it, saying sea level readings did not indicate any tsunami signal.

Police and fire service officials in Vanuatu said they had not felt the quake.

Eddie Stice, Vanuatu Country Director for the US Peace Corps, said by telephone that he had not felt the quake from the capitol Port Vila, which is on an island a few hundred km south of the quake epicenter, and that he was not aware of any damage. -Reuters