Strong earthquake shakes Papua New Guinea, no damage

Strong earthquake shakes Papua New Guinea, no damage

2010-12-13 08:59:14 GMT+7 (ICT)

ARAWA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck Papua New Guinea on late Monday morning, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The 6.1-magnitude earthquake at 11.14 a.m. local time (0114 GMT) was centered approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) south-southeast of Arawa, the capital of the autonomous region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. It struck about 114.8 kilometers (90 miles) deep, making it an earthquake of intermediate depth, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage as a result of the earthquake, but said around 8,000 people may have felt moderate shaking.

Papua New Guinea, close to Indonesia, is on the so-called 'Pacific Ring of Fire', an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions also occur frequently.

Earlier this month, on December 2, a strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east-northeast of Kandrian on Papua New Guinea's New Britain. There were no casualties.

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