Powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits East of New Zealand; Tsunami alert lifted

Auckland, Mar 04: An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 hit East of North Island, New Zealand today at 06:57(IST): National Centre for Seismology.

The earthquake struck at 2:27 a.m. local time on Friday and was centered about 85 kilometers (52 miles) east of Te Aroroa, or 412 kilometers (256 mi) east of Auckland. It struck at a depth of roughly 94 kilometers (58 mi).

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The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also issued a tsunami alert, saying hazardous tsunami waves are possible within 300 kilometers of the earthquake's epicenter along the coasts of New Zealand. It was later lifted.

The region is prone to earthquakes because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the ocean.