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February 10, 2021 A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook New Caledonia, French territory in the South Pacific, and the Loyauté Islands located off the east coast of New Caledonia.
This was reported by the US geological monitoring service Usgs.
After the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued.
The quake, initially recorded by the USSR with a magnitude of 7.5, before being revised to 7.7, occurred shortly after local midnight (2.20 in Europe) about 415 kilometers east of Vao in New Caledonia, at a depth of 10 kilometers, the Usgs.
"Dangerous tsunami waves are possible within the next three hours," the NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned. Waves of up to one meter are possible on some coasts of Fiji, New Zealand and Vanuatu.
Smaller waves have been expected in other countries in the region, including Australia, the Cook Islands and American Samoa.
There are currently no reports of casualties or damage from the earthquake.
In the so-called "Ring of Fire" of the Pacific, where tectonic plates collide, frequent seismic and volcanic activities are recorded.
Meanwhile, New Zealand has issued a warning to the population to move away from the coasts after the tsunami warning issued in New Caledonia.