WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded late on Wednesday in the South Pacific Ocean near the Kermadec Island chain, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The temblor, located 189 miles (304 km) northeast of Raoul Island in the Kermadec Island chain, struck at 21:53 GMT at a depth of 22.4 miles (36 km), the USGS said on its Web site.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake posed no destructive tsunami threat, but cautioned that earthquakes of this size sometimes generate destructive waves within a 100 kilometres (62 miles) of the epicenter.

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