Strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes offshore Papua New Guinea

[News_Editor]

Strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes offshore Papua New Guinea

2011-09-13 10:57:48 GMT+7 (ICT)

WEWAK, PAPUA NEW GUINEA (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck off the mainland of Papua New Guinea on early Tuesday morning, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake at 8.44 a.m. local time (2244 GMT Monday) was centered about 48 kilometers (29 miles) east-southeast of Wewak, the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It struck about 34.9 kilometers (21.7 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS estimated that some 14,000 people living near the epicenter may have felt strong shaking, which could potentially result in light to moderate damage. More than half a million others were estimated to potentially having perceived light to moderate shaking.

However, earthquakes in the mountainous nation of New Papua Guinea do rarely cause damage or casualties as most structures in the region are light and flexible. This allows them to bend, rather than snap when a major earthquake happens.

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.

In July 1998, a powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck just off the north coast of the country's island of New Guinea, causing a landslide which resulted in a local tsunami. The disaster left at least 2,183 people killed and thousands injured.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-09-13

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