7.3-magnitude earthquake strikes near a remote Australian island

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake has been recorded near a remote Australian island. The Bureau of Meteorology reported the quake near Macquarie Island in the southwest Pacific Ocean at 8.49pm on Thursday.

The earthquake was at a depth of 29.3km with the Australian territory located south of New Zealand briefly on tsunami warning - but this was lifted by 10pm. The quake was also recorded by the US Geological Survey.

There was no tsunami warnings in place for the Australian mainland.

Located 1,600km southeast of Tasmania, Macquarie Island is home is to the Australian Antarctic Division station, which is occupied all year round.

It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and is a refuge for large colonies of penguins and seals.

The island is particularly active in terms of seismic activity, sitting on the boundary between the Australian plate and the Pacific plate.

The island had an 8.2 magnitude earthquake in 1989, the largest intra-oceanic earthquake of the 20th century and also recorded a 8.1 magnitude earthquake in 2004.

In December last year a 6.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded on the island.

The Australian Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is currently looking at modernizing the Antarctic research station.

The station sits on a low-lying part of land connecting two parts of the island.

While the government wants to refurbish the existing site, researchers have expressed concerns over the tsunami risk.

Emeritus professor at the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and marine geophysicist professor Mike Coffin said the station should be moved to higher ground.

He said that would mitigate the risk not only from tsunamis but also from underwater landslides.