Powerful earthquake rattles islands near New Zealand

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A powerful earthquake hit deep under the South Pacific late Tuesday near an uninhabited chain of islands north of New Zealand, and it rocked a wide area of the country, but no damage or injuries were reported.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin saying the magnitude 7.4 quake had not generate a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami but warned it could spawn a small tsunami within 60 miles of its epicenter.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 10:39 p.m. (6:39 a.m. ET) about 90 miles below the seabed, and was centered about 180 miles south-southwest of Raoul Island, which is 712 miles northeast of New Zealand's largest city, Auckland.

It came hours before countries around the Pacific rim were to test a tsunami warning system spanning the world's largest ocean.

The powerful quake, which New Zealand seismologists said registered at magnitude 7.5, rocked a wide area of the country — but was unlikely to have caused damage, seismologist Ken Gledhill told The Associated Press.


More:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-05-16-quake-new-zealand_x.htm

[MaineDem]

1. I read they don't think it will cause tsunamis. n/t

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

2. It certainly sounds that way.

It was a big quake, but not huge.

[MountainLaurel]

3. Poor Kiwis

I'm glad to see there was little damage caused. But it still would have scared the *&$# out of me.