1 An earthquake rattled a mountainous, sparsely populated area of New Zealand shortly before noon on Monday. No damage or injuries were reported.
2 The quake had a preliminary reading of 7.5, making it a major quake, according to seismologists at the Australian Geological Survey Organization in Canberra and at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo.
3 Martin Reyners, deputy chief seismologist from the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences in Wellington, said the quake had a reading of 7, and its epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean about 77 miles (125 km) east-southeast of East Cape.
4 New Zealand is in one of the most seismically active regions of the world, where minor quakes are felt almost every day.
5 'It was a bit of a thump, that's about all,' said a police officer in Whakatane, one of the few sizeable towns in the area, about 300 miles northeast of the capital of Wellington.
6 At Taupo, another town in the region, Detective Gary Lockyer said the quake was not serious, but went on for about 40 seconds.
7 The quake failed to generate a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami, or tidal wave, although some areas could experience small sea-level changes, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu.

An earthquake rattled a mountainous , sparsely populated area of New Zealand shortly before noon on Monday . No damage or injuries were reported .
sparsely populated area
Why was this area not inhabited by people?