Very strong M7.4 earthquake hits south of the Kermadec Islands

Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A very strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.4 hit south of the Kermadec Islands at 12:49 UTC on June 18, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M7.4 at a depth of 10 km.
The epicenter was located 686 km (425 miles) NE of Opotiki and 700 km (434 miles) NE of Whakatane, New Zealand.
There are no people living within 100 km (62 miles).
Based on earthquake information and historic tsunami records, this earthquake is not expected to generate a tsunami, NWS NTWC said.

Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
Regional seismicity

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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