Caledonia hit by earthquake. PHOTO: FILE
The quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 km (six miles) some 372 km (230 miles) east of the New Caledonian capital Noumea. It was initially reported as magnitude 7.
The center said there was no Pacific-wide tsunami threat but added that waves 17 cm (7 inches) high reached the shores of the Loyalty Islands, 250 km (155 miles) east of the epicentre. No damage was reported.
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"We felt it and they felt it more strongly on the Loyalty Islands," Civil Defense spokesperson Olivier Ciry told Reuters by phone from Noumea.
"But there is nothing to say. There is no damage, no tsunami and we don't expect anything else," he said.
Three pacific islands receive tsunami warning
A tsunami warning was issued for New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu Wednesday after a strong earthquake in the Pacific Ocean, although seismologists said there were no immediate reports of damage.
After quake struck off the eastern coast of New Caledonia, "waves reaching 0.3 to 1 metre above the tide level are possible", the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
It urged anyone near the coast to "stay alert" and follow instructions from local authorities.
Smaller waves were forecast for other Pacific nations including the Marshall islands, Samoa and New Zealand, although New Zealand was quick to distance the country from any threat.
"We want to confirm that there is no tsunami threat to New Zealand from this earthquake," said the ministry of civil defence and emergency management.
Jonathan Hanson, duty seismologist at New Zealand's GNS Science, also downplayed any major threat to Pacific nations, saying the epicentre was some distance from inhabited islands and the tsunami wave warnings were modest.
"The tsunami wave sizes we've seen reported are 16-17 centimetres (6.3-6.7 inches) at two New Caledonia stations. At those sizes we wouldn't expect any damage," he told AFP.
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The tremor hit at a depth of 27 kilometres (17 miles) in the southern Pacific Ocean, some 231 kilometres from the nearest town Tadine in the lightly-populated Loyalty Islands, the US Geological Survey said.
Geoscience Australia said shaking would have been felt throughout New Caledonia, but it put the damage radius at 103 kilometres -- well away from land.
New Caledonia, a French overseas territory, Fiji and Vanuatu are located within the "Ring of Fire", a zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific that is subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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Only minor sea level fluctuations were recorded and the warning was soon called off. Despite this coastal populations were urged to "stay alert" and follow instructions from local authorities.
New Caledonia's Civil Security department said there was no risk of major flooding.
"Given its location, depth and magnitude, abnormal changes in sea levels could be seen in the Loyalty Islands," it said.
"Since there is no risk of major flooding along the coast, no action by the public is required," it added, calling nonetheless for coastal residents to exercise "caution".
Fiji's disaster management minister tweeted that the quake "does NOT pose any immediate threat to the Fiji region".
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