An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck the Kermadec Islands region in New Zealand on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The quake hit at 06:41 GMT, the USGS said. It was detected at a depth of 150-205 kilometers (93-127 miles) and 928 km northeast of Kerikeri.
According to the New Zealand Meteorological Service, the second-largest earthquake hit the country in the past three years. A 7.2-magnitude tremor hit the area last June, causing a small tsunami observed at Raoul Island.
New Zealand is prone to strong quakes in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines that circle the ocean basin, APA reports citing Reuters. There was also a quake of similar strength in the northern Cook Islands region in November 2009.
Earthquakes can cause damage, but they aren’t often felt. The last major quake in New Zealand was in 1992, which killed nearly 800 people.
The USGS says about 100,000 people received an advanced warning from the Earthquake Warning California app before the shaking began, but the agency isn’t assessing any damage yet. On Friday, USGS spokesman Brian Ferguson told CNN that it is still working with local authorities to assess things like roofs, foundations, and infrastructure at sensitive sites.
A USGS report says there’s been an increase in earthquake activity along the Mediterranean coast, especially in Italy and Spain. The region includes a cluster of high-profile faults that separate the Gulf of Aqaba-Dead Sea Transform Fault from the Hellenic and Cyprian Arcs, considered the most active seismic zones in Europe.
The quake in the Kermadec Islands region is likely an extension of a series of minor earthquakes that have happened recently, the USGS report says. In October, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit the region, while two minor quakes were measured earlier this month in Spain and Turkey. The quakes are probably related to a large, unnamed earthquake occurring in the Middle East since late September.
