Series of Moderately Strong Earthquakes Hit New Zealand This Morning

A series of moderately strong earthquakes hit New Zealand's North Island on Wednesday morning, while there have been no reports of human or material losses yet.

And the US Geological Survey reported - according to the US "ABC News" network - that a 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Hawke's Bay area near the town of Dannevirk, and was shortly followed by a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, while several more moderate aftershocks followed.

For its part, the National Emergency Management Agency in New Zealand confirmed that the earthquakes did not pose any threat of the possibility of high tidal waves known as tsunamis that follow earthquakes.

It is worth noting that New Zealand and other countries located in the Pacific Ocean, such as Indonesia and Japan, are situated within what is known as the Ring of Fire, which is a very active region and is almost constantly exposed to earthquakes of varying intensity throughout the year.