6.1 quake rumbles off Kermadec Islands

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Monday off Raoul Island, part of the Kermadec Islands of New Zealand, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The islands are uninhabited except for the permanently manned Raoul Island Station, the country's northernmost outpost. The region has long been a source of volcanic activity. The earthquake's epicenter, about 21 miles deep, was about 100 miles south of Raoul Island, about 683 miles south-southwest of Nuku'alofa, Tonga, and 2,009 miles west-southwest of Papeete, Tahiti, the USGS said. The Kermadec Islands are about 500 to 620 miles northeast of New Zealand's North Island.