One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the South Pacific in modern history triggered tsunami warnings throughout the region and forced thousands of people in New Zealand to evacuate coastal areas on Friday.
Key points:
- Small tsunami waves were witnessed, but little damage occurred
- New Zealand authorities say the threat has passed and people can return to their homes
- Residents recorded videos of small wave surges in some places
Small tsunami waves were witnessed, but little damage occurred in the hours following the warnings.
The magnitude-8.1 quake in the Kermadec Islands region, about 1,000 kilometres from New Zealand's two main islands, was the largest in a series of earthquakes over several hours.
Two earlier quakes registered magnitude-7.4 and magnitude-7.3.
The tsunami threat caused traffic jams in New Zealand as people scrambled to get to higher ground.
Residents recorded videos of small wave surges in some places, including at Tokomaru Bay near Gisborne.
In the afternoon, the National Emergency Management Agency said the threat had passed and people could return to their homes, although it asked them to stay away from beaches.
Loading..."It's hard not to feel like our country is having a run of bad luck when you have an earthquake, tsunami alert and pandemic to contend with all in one day," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
"We have had our share of tough moments in this country but within that we have always been blessed with incredible people who work in our emergency system."
After the largest quake authorities said a damaging tsunami was possible, and waves could reach up to 3 metres.
Loading...Emergency Management Minister Kiri Allan said people had followed the advisory.
"They felt the long or strong earthquakes and they knew to grab their bag and head into the highlands," she said.
"I can only thank and acknowledge the tireless efforts of the men and women from up and down the coast who knew how to act, when to act, and what to do."
Warnings issued as far away as South America
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had cautioned the quake could cause tsunami waves of up to 3 metres in Vanuatu and up to 1 metre in Tonga, other South Pacific islands and the Pacific coast of South America.
Tsunami advisories have now been cancelled across the Pacific but residents have been told to remain vigilant.
Waves of 30 centimetres above tide levels were measured by ocean gauges off Vanuatu, New Zealand and Australia.
Smaller waves were measured elsewhere in the South Pacific.
Footage from American Samoa posted on social media after the earthquake showed schoolchildren singing while they gathered to evacuate.
Footage from Vanuatu's capital Port Vila showed what was referred to as a noticeable rise in the ocean.
Locals in Vanuatu also expressed frustration with the lack of communication from emergency authorities.
Chilean authorities ordered people off beaches. Guatemala issued a tsunami alert, and authorities in El Salvador ordered people to take precautions. Mexico said there was no threat.
The US Geological Survey said the largest quake hit at the intersection of the Pacific and Australia tectonic plates and eclipsed the largest quake previously recorded in the region, a magnitude-8.0 in 1976.
Jennifer Eccles, an earthquake expert at the University of Auckland, said the quake was at the top end of the scale for those involving only the Earth's ocean crust.
"This is about as big as it gets," she said.
The US Geological Survey said the magnitude-7.4 quake was likely a "foreshock" that contributed to the larger quake but that the first quake that hit closer to New Zealand was too far away in time and distance to have directly contributed.
In 2011, a magnitude-6.3 quake hit the city of Christchurch, killing 185 people and destroying much of its CBD.
AP/ABC