A strong magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit the open waters of the Southern Ocean near the Australian territory of Macquarie Island on Saturday, U.S. monitors said. No tsunami alert was issued. According to the Associated Press, The U.S. Geological Survey reported the temblor occurred in the open ocean 110 kilometers (70 miles) southwest of Macquarie Island, Australia's main sub-Antarctic territory. The quake hit at 11:30 a.m. New Zealand time (2330 GMT Friday). The quake was centered some 755 kilometers (470 miles) southwest of New Zealand's uninhabited Auckland Island and some 1,995 kilometers (1,240 miles) south of the New Zealand capital of Wellington, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Web site said no tsunami alert was issued. There were no immediate reports of damage.
