Off the wire
• Results of women's 100m freestyle at Rio Olympics  • 7.2-magnitude quake jolts Loyalty Islands in S. Pacific: CENC  • U.S. opens patent probe into quartz slabs  • China retail sales up 10.2 pct in July  • Results of men's 200m individual medley final at Rio Olympics  • Phelps wins 22nd Olympic gold, grabs slice of history  • FLASH: NEW BOMB ATTACK KILLS ONE IN SOUTHERN THAILAND: GOVERNOR  • China's fixed-asset investment growth continues to slow  • China's property investment slows down in July  • China industrial output expands 6 pct in July  
You are here: 　 Home

1st LD Writethru: 7.2-magnitude quake hits off New Caledonia, no tsunami threat

Xinhua, August 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit off New Caledonia on Friday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

There was no immediate report of casualty or damage.

The epicenter of the quake which struck at 12:26 p.m. local time (0126 GMT) from a depth of 9.9 kilometers was traced 109 kilometers east of Ile Hunter, New Caledonia, according to the USGS.

The magnitude of the quake was initially determined at 7.5, which was later adjusted to 7.6, then to 7.2.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a threat message after the quake, saying hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1000 kilometers of the quake epicenter. It later said the "tsunami threat from this earthquake has now passed."

Pacific island countries and territories such as Fiji and New Caledonia lie on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones where continental plates collide producing frequent seismic activities. Endit