6.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Kermadec Islands

September 30, 2013 – WELLINGTON, NZ – A 6.7 -magnitude earthquake struck the remote, uninhabited Kermadec Islands Monday, but there was little chance of a Pacific-wide tsunami, officials said. The temblor, which hit at a depth of 34 kilometers (21 miles) at the New Zealand-administered volcanic island group, was some 870 kilometers from the nearest major city Whangarei, in New Zealand, according to the US Geological Survey. “Based on all available data a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected,” the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. The Kermadec Islands are located roughly equidistant to New Zealand’s North Island and the Pacific nation of Tonga, and are uninhabited except for a permanent weather, radio and conservation station on Raoul Island. They are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a hotbed of volcanic and earthquake activity at the intersection of several tectonic plates. The Kermadecs frequently see large tremors, including three quakes in excess of 7.0-magnitude in 2011. -NST