The quake was not felt in New Zealand, according to the country’s geological sciences agency.
USGS later reported a 6.8-magnitude quake in what it called the Macquarie Island region, more than 700 miles (1,200 kilometers) northeast of Invercargill at a depth of less than three miles.
New Zealand, which is home to 5 million people, sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common. (AP) OZ OZ