A magnitude 7.3 earthquake has occurred off the islands of New Caledonia.
The US Geological Survey says it was at a depth of 7.2km, beneath the sea 124km northeast of Tadine in the Loyalty Islands.
It was recorded at 3.16am (local time) on Friday.
The Pacific Tsunami warning Centre says the quake did not trigger a widespread tsunami, but could cause a local one.
It was followed by a series of aftershocks, the most powerful of which measured magnitude 5.9.
There has been a number of earthquakes and aftershocks in the area since 26 December when a magnitude 7.3 quake occurred near Vanuatu.
