6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Off Papua New Guinea Coast

A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday morning off the coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain Island, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The shallow quake, at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), was forecast to produce tsunami waves of one to three metres, according to an advisory from the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Smaller waves of less than 0.3 metres were also forecast for some parts of neighbouring Pacific nation Solomon Islands.

The earthquake struck at 6:04 am local time (2004 GMT) and was centred about 194 kilometres (120 miles) southeast of the nearest major town Kimbe.

A much smaller quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3, occurred in nearly the same location about 30 minutes later, according to the USGS.

Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on top of the seismic “Ring of Fire” — an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Although they seldom cause widespread damage in sparsely populated areas, they can trigger destructive landslides.The earthquake struck at 6:04 am local time (2004 GMT) and was centred about 194 kilometres (120 miles) southeast of the nearest major town Kimbe.

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