Magnitude 6.8 earthquake hits New Zealand's Riverton coast
ByHT News Desk
Mar 25, 2025 07:53 AM IST
The earthquake, which struck at a depth of 10 kms, was initially recorded at 7 magnitude.
A massive earthquake of magnitude 6.8 sent tremors off the coast of Riverton in New Zealand on Tuesday, said the United States Geological Survey.
The United States Geological Survey said that the quake struck at a depth of 10 kms.
The United States Geological Survey said that the quake struck at a depth of 10 kms.
The quake, which initially was recorded at 7 magnitude, struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) off the southwest tip of the South Island, the USGS said. So far, no tsunami warning has been issued for the region.
According to USGS the eastern margin of the Australia plate is one of the most seismically active areas of the world due to the high rates of convergence between the Australia and Pacific plates.
In New Zealand, it said, the 3000 km-long Australia-Pacific plate boundary extends from south of Macquarie Island to the southern Kermadec Island chain.
Since 1900, around 15 instances of magnitude 7.5 plus earthquakes have been recorded near New Zealand. Nine of these, and the four largest ones, occurred near the Macquarie Ridge, including the 1989's destructive 8.2 magnitude on the ridge itself.
The largest earthquake recorded in New Zealand itself was in 1931, the 7.8 magnitude Hawke's Bay earthquake, which claimed the lives of 256 people.
This is a developing story. We will update with more information.
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