A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 has struck Papua New Guinea, seismologists say. There is no threat of a tsunami but details about damage or casualties are not yet available.
According to BNO News, The earthquake, which struck at 3:04 a.m. local time on Monday, was centered in Chambri Lake, about 37 kilometers east of Ambunti or 96 kilometers southwest of Wewak, the capital of East Sepik province.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake measured 7.0, a significant downgrade from earlier estimates of 7.3 and 7.9. It struck about 62 kilometers below the surface, making it a fairly deep earthquake.
“Based on all available data, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement.
Details about damage or casualties from the remote region were not immediately available. The USGS estimated that up to 4.5 million people could have felt the quake, including 466,000 people who may have felt “strong” to “very strong” shaking.
Earthquakes in the mountainous nation, which is on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, do rarely cause major damage because many structures in the region are light and flexible. This allows them to bend, rather than snap, when a major earthquake occurs. However, earthquakes in Papua New Guinea are capable of causing major landslides.
