Strong quake rocks ocean off New Caledonia

The quake struck 397 kilometres (246 miles) east-northeast of the New Caledonia capital Nouméa at a depth of 117 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

"A destructive tsunami was not generated because this earthquake is located too deep inside the earth," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

New Caledonia lies on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.