A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale struck the remote Kermadec Islands, 621 miles north of New Zealand Thursday, the country's Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) said.
The undersea temblor struck at 10:53 am (2153 GMT Wednesday), at a depth of 38 miles and its epicenter was about 161 miles north-east of Raoul Island, the GNS reported. There were no immediate reports of either damage or injuries. No tsunami warning was issued following the quake.
The Kermadec islands are uninhabited except for Raoul, where New Zealand's Department of Conservation maintains a field station. Two years ago, a conservation worker on Raoul Island was killed by a mudflow after a volcanic eruption during an earthquake.
Volcanic activity and earthquakes are common in the area, which is a part of the "Ring of Fire" where the Pacific plate of the earth's crust meets with other continental plates.
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