Magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits near New Caledonia, no tsunami threat

Sydney, Oct 31: A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of New Caledonia in the tectonically active Pacific region, but there was no tsunami threat, seismologists said.

The tremor hit at a depth of 29 kilometres some 253 kilometres from the capital Noumea and 109 kilometres from Tadine in the lightly populated Loyalty Islands.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no current threat, with experts saying while shaking would have been felt, damage was unlikely.

"It was quite a distance from Noumea, but there are some smaller islands closer which certainly would have experienced a good shake," Geoscience Australia seismologist Jonathan Bathgate told AFP.

"I wouldn't expect it to be particularly damaging. This area experiences these type of events fairly often. It's an active area." 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.

PTI