A magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit off the coast of New Zealand on Wednesday, prompting officials to issue a tsunami warning which was later canceled.
New Zealand’s Civil Defense agency said that the quake, which struck the subtropical uninhabited Kermadec Islands located around 500 miles from the mainland, posed no tsunami threat.
“However, they expect that there will be unusually strong tidal surges and currents,” the agency noted.
The warning added, “For the next 24 hours people should exercise caution and discretion before entering the water or going out in small boats in all parts of New Zealand.”
This means that there is an increased risk to boats and ships passing through the waters off the Kermadec Islands towards New Zealand.
Officials at the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Center, which issued the first warning after the quake, said that waves could be more than a meter (3.3. feet) higher than normal.
The Kermadec Islands are currently uninhabited and only research teams reside there. The islands sit within the seismically-active Pacific Ring of Fire, which extends around the outer areas of the Pacific Ocean.
New Zealand has been on watch after the city of Christchurch was rocked several times by quakes since February. More than 180 people have been killed and billions of dollars in damage has been registered.
