WORLD : 8.2 Quake Occurs in South Pacific

A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 8.2--the world’s strongest quake in more than two years--occurred in the South Pacific about 850 miles southwest of New Zealand today. There was no immediate report of damage or injuries and no tsunami waves resulted.

New Zealand said the quake was picked up by seismological monitors in the capital of Wellington, but there were no reports that the tremor was felt in New Zealand. A spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington said the quake struck the sparsely populated Macquarie Islands region of the South Pacific.