West News Wire: On Monday, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake occurred in a distant area of the Pacific Ocean, but it didn’t seem to cause a tsunami.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred close to the Kermadec Islands around 900 kilometres (560 miles) northeast of New Zealand’s North Island at a depth of 49 kilometres (30 miles).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre stated that Hawaii and the larger Pacific were not in danger from the earthquake. There was a little area where a tsunami may have happened, but nothing happened.
The National Emergency Management Agency of New Zealand stated that it was determining whether or not New Zealand would be affected by the earthquake but offered its customary advice for people to leave coastal areas if they felt a lengthy or strong quake.
The Kermadec Islands are uninhabited except for Raoul Island where New Zealand scientists sometimes stay over to carry out meteorological observations or weed control work.
The islands are the site of frequent large earthquakes. They were geologically formed from a ridge that rose from the ongoing collision between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates.
