A large earthquake has stuck off the Pacific nation of Vanuatu.

Tsunami waves were possible for coasts within 300km of the epicentre, the Pacific Warning Centre said.

The tsunami threat from the revised 6.9 earthquake has mostly passed. The quake was initially recorded as a magnitude 7.2 earthquake.

A US Geological Survey map showing the location of the 7.2 quake off the coast of Vanuatu. Source: Supplied

There are no immediate reports of damage from the earthquake.



The NZ Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management said: "The earthquake is unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will pose a threat to New Zealand."

An orange tsunami alert was issued for Vanuatu following the quake.

The Global Disaster Alert and Co-ordination centre issued the alert – which means it’s a highly elevated level of seismic activity.

The quake hit 151km north-northwest of Santo on Vanuatu and was revised to a depth of 35km deep, the US Geological Survey said.

USGS first measured the quake at 10km deep.