Two moderately-strong earthquakes struck to the south of the Kermadec Islands during the past 24 hours.
The quakes, which struck just before midday yesterday and just before dawn today, were located nearly half-way between New Zealand and Raoul Island in the Kermadec Island chain.
The first event occurred at 11:01 a.m. yesterday. It was magnitude 5.1, 23 km deep and located 320 km SSW of Raoul Island.
This morning’s stronger earthquake was further south at a location 480 km SSW of Raoul Island, about 640 km north-east of Auckland. The magnitude 5.3 quake struck at 5:22 a.m. at a depth of 40 km.
[Compiled from data in USGS databases.]