7.2-magnitude quake hits off New Caledonia, no tsunami threat

SYDNEY, Australia – A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of New Caledonia Friday, August 12, in the tectonically active Pacific region, but there was no tsunami threat, seismologists said.

The quake struck at a depth of about 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) some 109 kilometers east of Ile Hunter in New Caledonia at 0126 GMT, the United States Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no current warning or advisory in the region.

“Earthquakes are not unusual in that particular region and as far as I’m aware, the recent activity there has not been unusual,” Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Phil Cummins told Agence France-Presse.

“It potentially might have been felt on some of the islands in Vanuatu or New Caledonia, but I doubt it would been enough to cause any damage there due to shaking.”

New Caledonia is part of the “Ring of Fire”, a zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific that is subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. – Rappler.com