A shallow magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck in the sea off northern Vanuatu.
The quake, initially reported as a 7.2 magnitude, hit at 3.31pm on Saturday, about 200km west of Sola, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It had a depth of 10km.
Sola, on the island of Vanua Lava, is the main town in the Banks Islands at the top of the Vanuatu archipelago. The epicentre lay north-west of Espiritu Santo, home to the country’s second city, Luganville.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said hazardous tsunami waves were possible for parts of Vanuatu, with no threat area identified for New Zealand at this stage.
Earthquakes are common in Vanuatu, a low-lying archipelago that straddles the tectonic Ring of Fire, an arc of seismic activity stretching through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
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