Powerful Magnitude 7.1 Quake Strikes New Zealand
(CBS SF) – New Zealand authorities canceled a tsunami warning after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the South Pacific nation.
The earthquake struck around 9:37 a.m. Pacific Time Thursday (4:37 a.m. Friday in New Zealand) about 105 miles off the coastal city of Gisborne on the North Island, the USGS reports. The depth was 19.07 miles.
People living in the capital city of Wellington and in Auckland, the nation's largest city, told the New Zealand Herald Newspaper that they felt the earthquake. Both cities are several hundred miles from the epicenter.
The New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management issued a tsunami warning for the east coast of North Island and Upper South Island following the quake.
New Zealand officials canceled the alert several hours later, but urged residents to prepare for aftershocks.
U.S. officials said there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii or the West Coast.
COMPLETE QUAKE COVERAGE: CBS Earthquake Resource Center
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