By Smartencyclopedia Newsroom with agencies

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in the South Pacific, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), leading to a tsunami warning for neighboring nations such as Vanuatu, Fiji, and Kiribati.

The US National Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert for coastal areas within 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of the earthquake’s epicenter, which was situated between Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.

Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency confirmed via Twitter that there was no current threat of a tsunami for Hawaii.

The US National Tsunami Warning Center revised its earlier assessment, stating that tsunami waves of up to 1 meter could potentially impact certain Vanuatu coastlines, whereas smaller waves below 0.3 meters could be expected in Fiji, Kiribati, and New Zealand’s remote Kermadec Islands.

The earthquake, with a depth of 38 kilometers (23 miles), prompted New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency to assess whether the quake posed any tsunami risk for New Zealand.

Initially reported as a 7.7-magnitude quake, the earthquake’s magnitude was later revised upward.

The South Pacific region experiences high seismic activity due to the continuous pressure between the converging Australia and Pacific tectonic plates, making it one of the most seismically active areas globally, as stated by the USGS.