The quake occurred at a depth of about 22 miles (36 kilometers) at 01:51 GMT on Saturday, about 261 miles northwest of New Caledonia’s capital of Noumea, USGS said. It had originally registered at a magnitude 7.4 before being downgraded to a 7.1.
A single magnitude 6.5 aftershock was recorded nearly 20 minutes after the initial quake.
Monitors have warned that tsunami waves were possible for coasts within 300 kilometers of the quake's epicenter but that they were likely to produce waves smaller than 1 foot (0.3 metres).
At present, there have been no reports of any damage or casualties.
The latest comes after a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake was recorded early Friday along the New Caledonia coastline, with two aftershocks registered at magnitudes 5.9 and 5.4.