A moderately strong, shallow earthquake struck near Raoul Island this morning.
Thursday 18th February 2010
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 55 km south of Raoul Island at 8:38 this morning. The quake, in the northern part of the Kermadec island chain, was located 215 km north-north-east of L’Esperance Rock (1050 km north-east of Auckland) at a depth of 35 km, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Geoscience Australia reports the quake as magnitude 6.2 at the shallower depth of 5 km. It estimates that the quake would have caused damage within 45 km of the epicentre which they calculate to be slightly further west (and closer to Raoul Island) than that calculated by the USGS. The quake would have been felt up to 560 km away, encompassing all of the Kermadec chain.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has not issued a bulletin for this event.
[Compiled from data supplied by the U.S. Geological Survey and Geoscience Australia and their contributing agencies.]