US Geological Survey
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea early
Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of
damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
The quake hit at 02:15 am (16:15 GMT)
150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Rabaul, in Papua New Guinea’s East New
Britain province and 885 kilometers northeast of the capital Port Moresby at a
depth of 85 kilometers.
Quakes of such magnitude are common in impoverished Papua
New Guinea, which sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire“, a hotspot for
seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. Last month, the
country was hit by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake but while the tremor was widely
felt it was too deep, at 105 kilometers, to cause much damage.
Earlier in March, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the New
Britain region of the country, with no damage or injuries reported.
A giant tsunami in 1998, caused by an undersea earthquake,
killed more than 2,000 people near Aitape, on the country’s northwest coast.
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