New Zealand Quake May Be Major

An earthquake rattled a mountainous, sparsely populated area of New Zealand shortly before noon today. No damage or injuries were reported.

The quake had a preliminary reading of 7.5, making it a major quake, according to seismologists at the Australian Geological Survey Organization in Canberra and at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo.

However, New Zealand’s Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences in Wellington measured it at only 5.7, according to seismologist Warwick Smith.