Tsunami warning for New Zealand after earthquake

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the Loyalty Islands and New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, the US Geophysical Institute (USGS) said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake had triggered a tsunami warning.

Authorities in New Zealand have asked people living along the country’s northern coast to stay away from the coast due to the risk of a tsunami. “We expect coastal areas of New Zealand to be exposed to unusually strong currents and unexpectedly high water,” the Emergency Management Agency said. “People at sea or on the coast should return inland, away from beaches, coasts, ports and estuaries,” the agency added.

The USGS initially reported a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale, then revised it to 7.5 and then 7.7. The epicenter was located 400 kilometers southeast of the Loyalty Islands archipelago, and about 430 kilometers from Vanuatu, according to the US Geological Survey.

Notable earthquake, preliminary information: M 7.9 – southeast of the Loyalty Islands https://t.co/jqxvNA7UDX

– USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) February 10, 2021

Notable earthquake, preliminary information: 7.5 M – southeast of the Loyalty Islands https://t.co/KcEuBtnTyU

– USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) February 10, 2021

New Caledonia is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 1,500 kilometers east of Australia. The area that includes New Caledonia and neighboring Vanuatu is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most intense areas of seismic activity on the planet.

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The Australian plate that holds New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands sinks under the Vanuatu Arc to create the Vanuatu Trench.

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