7.0-magnitude quake hits off Lae

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast of Papua New Guinea yesterday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning issued.
The quake hit at 5.13pm 141km north of Lae and 443km from Port Moresby at a depth of 201km, it said.
“A destructive tsunami was not generated based on earthquake and historical tsunami data,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said in a statement.
Geoscience Australia measured the quake at 6.8 magnitude and at a depth of 215km but agreed it was unlikely to generate dangerous waves.
“It is pretty deep so it is not a tsunami threat we believe, even though it is slightly offshore,” Geo­science Australia seismologist Clive Collins said.
Collins said there had been reports of the earthquake being felt as far away as Goroka, Eastern Highlands, which was about 250km from the epicentre.
“There would be quite some shaking to the areas close by because it is about 20km offshore,” Collins said.
“So it was obviously being felt in a wide area around Papua New Guinea, which you would expect from something that big.”
Quakes of such magnitude are common in PNG, which sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. – AFP
“That northern part of Papua New Guinea is subject to quite strong earthquakes reasonably frequently,” Collins said, adding that the biggest risk was generally from landslips caused by tremors.
“There are very steep valleys and if it has been wet, you get landslides which generally cause trouble. But I think this, being a little bit offshore, may not be such a problem.
“Of course it will be a while before we know that.” – AFP