Deep sea quake hits Arawa

By ELIZABETH VUVU
ARAWA in Bougainville was hit by a deep sea earthquake measuring six on the Ritcher scale last Sunday night.
Light sways of the quake were also felt in parts of East New Britain and New Ireland.
Reports received by the Rabaul Volcano Observatory revealed that the quake was located 105km west of Arawa at Empress Augusta Bay.
RVO described the earthquake as being deep with a depth of 62km which occurred at 8.24pm last Sunday.
RVO acting assistant director Herman Patia said the quake hit parts of the New Guinea Islands but was not strong enough to trigger a tsunami.
Mr Patia said they had not received any reports of damage from the quake.
The provincial disaster office in East New Britain confirmed there were no reports of damage and casualties. The possibility of water tanks being affected was likely.
The earthquake was of tectonic in origin, meaning it was due to tectonic plate movements between the Solomon Sea Plate and Pacific Plate, Mr Patia said and emphasised that it was not volcanic- related.
Reportedly, this is the third earthquake with magnitudes measuring between six and seven on the Richter scale that has been striking parts of New Guinea Islands in recent weeks.
Consequently, from these quake events, there had been no reported cases of damage and casualties.