Powerful undersea quake hits north of New Zealand, triggers tsunami warnings

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (NewsNation Now) — A powerful undersea earthquake struck north of New Zealand on Wednesday evening, prompting tsunami warnings in parts of the region.

The U.S. Geological Agency said the magnitude 7.7 quake was centered at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) southeast of the Loyalty Islands. The quake was about 250 miles away from the island of New Caledonia.

The shaking was not expected to cause significant damage or fatalities on land. Foreshocks shook the area earlier Wednesday with magnitudes ranging from 5.7 to 6.1 in a span of just over an hour.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center issued warnings of possible tsunami waves ranging from 0.3 to 1 meters (1 to 3.3 feet) for Vanuatu and Fiji. A tsunami watch was issued and then canceled for American Samoa.

The New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency said people should get out of the water, off beaches and away from harbours, rivers and estuaries in areas from Ahipara to Bay of Islands, Great Barrier Island and from Matata to Tolaga Bay.

“We expect New Zealand coastal areas to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore,” the agency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said there was a tsunami threat to offshore Australian islands and territories.

The region is prone to earthquakes because it sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the ocean. The largest earthquake in the region was a magnitude 7.7 in May 1995, according to the USGS.

Aftershocks continued to shake the area throughout Wednesday.