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A POWERFUL 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea (PNG) today, and was followed by a 6.7-magnitude tremor, but no Pacific-wide tsunami warning was sounded.
There are no reports of injuries.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the first quake, originally put at 7.3 magnitude but later revised down, struck 35 miles off the town of Panguna on the remote and volcanic Bougainville island.
The second hit about an hour later 96 kilometres from Panguna, the USGS said, adding that both quakes had an estimated depth of about 50 kilometres.
Geoscience Australia estimated the first quake at 7.4 magnitude and said the tremor, which hit close to the neighbouring Solomon Islands, was believed to be in the “shallow” range.
“They would have gotten a strong shake across the island, and there’s the possibility of some damage,” David Jepsen from Geoscience Australia told AFP.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center ruled out the threat of a Pacific-wide destructive tsunami after both quakes but Jepsen cautioned that there was a “possibility of a local tsunami” in PNG.
Chris McKee from the PNG Geophysical Observatory said officials had not yet been able to make contact with those on remote and isolated Bougainville island.
“We haven’t been able to determine whether a tsunami was generated,” he told AFP.
Quakes of such magnitude are common in the island nation, which sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
In October, a 7.1-magnitude quake struck in the same area — around 65 kilometres west of Panguna.
Last year in February the remote town of Lata in the Solomons was hit by a devastating tsunami after an 8.0-magnitude earthquake. The tsunami left at least 10 people dead, destroyed hundreds of homes and left thousands of people homeless.
In 2007 a tsunami following an 8.0-magnitude earthquake killed at least 52 people in the Solomons and left thousands homeless.
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I’m guessing Social Media and the way we have instant news available to us today makes it easier to hear about earthquakes and other natural disasters happening,as opposed to 20 or 30 years ago
Are they going to tell us why we have been having frequent and big earthquakes the last few years.
I’m going to hazard a guess that it’s to do with the ongoing movement of the Teutonic plates.
Someone must be playing the Haarp.
Yes that’s how it happens!!
But the question I asked is why it’s happening so often as apposed to say 10 years ago
Earthquakes have been happening since the earth was formed billions of years ago. There are many great science books that cover them in varying degrees of detail. I would recommend “The Magic of Reality” by Richard Dawkins as a great place to start should you wish to learn about such natural phenomena.
HAARP could be a cause alright. Or it could be a natural phase that the earth goes through from time to time.
Kelvin great book! But in the last 15 years the number of great earthquakes 8.0+ is the same as the previous 100 years.Something is happening tectonically no question about it.
Frank, I used to think the world was a complicated place where things often happened randomly and with little explanation. Thanks to you, I now know that not to be the case. Anytime something happens now, I know the true cause whatever the event – the US government!Thanks for making the world an easier place to understand.
Tectonic, not Teutonic. Can’t blame the krauts for earthquakes!
Why not ? They are sneeky buggers them lot. ; )
Goodluck with any media trying to get on that island considering 400 thousand people have been murdered there over the last few decades by the Indonesian government as they ravage the islands for their precious minerals that western and Chinese corporations want yet not a Dicky bird out of the UN, western governments or their puppet media. Guess genocide is ok when there’s plenty of dollars to be made.
Is there anything that ISN’T the fault of “the west”??
Derek, Its quite clear you don’t know what you are talking about. Go and live there like I did for 7 years and you might be in a position to post something you know something about.
have your say