Strong 6.8 magnitude quake in Scotia Sea

A strong 6.8 magnitude undersea earthquake has struck in the Scotia Sea, between the furthest tip of South America and Antarctica.

There is a low likelihood that the quake, which struck at 0334 GMT (1434 AEDT) Saturday, will cause casualties or damage because of its remote location, said the US Geological Survey, which monitors earthquakes worldwide.

The quake was centred 917 kilometres southwest of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, 1158kms south-southeast of the Stanley, the capital of the Falklands Islands, and 1397kms southeast of Ushuaia, Argentina.

The epicentre was at a depth of nine kilometres, the USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Centre issued a bulletin stating that there was no threat of a destructive tsunami based on historical data.

However "there is a small possibility of a local or regional tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than a few hundred kilometres from the earthquake epicentre," the bulletin read.