An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale over 700 kilometers north-east of New Zealand has rocked a wide area of the country Tuesday night, but no damage or injuries were reported.

The quake was felt widely throughout the North Island and as far south as Christchurch of South Island.

There has been no report of damages so far and the Pacific Tsunami Warning center in Hawaii did not issue a tsunami warning.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake hit at 10:39 pm local time (1039 GMT) about 90 miles below the seabed, and was centered about 180 miles south-southwest of Raoul Island, which is 712 miles northeast of New Zealand's largest city, Auckland.

Local seismologist Ken Gledhill said the quake is unlikely to have caused any damage in New Zealand.

"It was too deep to have ruptured the sea floor," said Gledhill.

He said that, within half an hour, more than 500 people had reported the quake's impact.

Earthquakes are frequent in South Pacific.

Source: Xinhua