The tremor was detected at a depth of 37 km and 333.8 km off the coast of New Caledonia. A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7 occurred this Friday in the Pacific Ocean southeast of New Caledonia, triggering a tsunami warning, announced the American Geophysical Institute (USGS).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) believes that a tidal wave is "possible" within a radius of 1,000 km around the epicentre. "Based on the preliminary parameters of the earthquake, dangerous tsunami waves are possible on coasts within 1,000 km of the earthquake epicenter," the PTWC said in a bulletin.
The centre urges residents of threatened coastal areas to remain vigilant. A hotel receptionist in Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, told AFP she had not felt any shaking.