NZ Civil Defence says no tsunami threat from Kermadec Islands earthquake

The severe 7.3 quake struck in the Kermadec Islands region north of New Zealand this lunch hour. Image / Geonet

There is no tsunami threat to New Zealand after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in the Pacific.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and GNS Science assessed the quake near the Kermadec Islands was unlikely to have caused a tsunami that would posed threat to New Zealand.

The earthquake struck at 12:42pm NZT, in the same vicinity as the magnitude 8.1 earthquake that struck on March 4, 2021, and prompted tsunami evacuations for large parts of the North Island.

NEMA said it was assessing whether the quake could affect New Zealand but gave its standard advice for people to move away from coastal areas if they felt a long or strong quake.

There is no tsunami threat to New Zealand following the M7.1 Kermadec Islands earthquake. Based on current information, the initial assessment is that the earthquake is unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will pose a threat to New Zealand.

— National Emergency Management Agency (@NZcivildefence) April 24, 2023

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the quake posed no threat to Hawaii and the wider Pacific.

A localised potential for a tsunami passed without any confirmed impact.

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.

- More to come