GOROKA, Papua New Guinea (BNO NEWS) -- A strong
earthquake struck the island of New Guinea in Papua New Guinea on early
Thursday morning, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of
damage or casualties.
The 6.7-magnitude earthquake at 8:15 a.m. local time
(2215 GMT Wednesday) was centered about 63 kilometers (39 miles) east-southeast
of Goroka, the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province in the Oceanian
country. It struck about 105.9 kilometers (65.8 miles) deep, making it an
earthquake with intermediate depth, according to the United States Geological
Survey (USGS).
There were no immediate reports of damage or
casualties from the region, but the USGS estimated that approximately 147,000
people near the epicenter may have felt 'strong' shaking which could result in
light to moderate damage. Another 3.5 million people may have felt light to
moderate shaking.
Because the earthquake struck fairly deep and on
land, no tsunami warnings were issued. "A destructive tsunami was not
generated based on earthquake and historical tsunami data," the Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.
Earthquakes in the mountainous nation of Papua New
Guinea, which is on the so-called 'Pacific Ring of Fire', 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.
In December 2011, a powerful 7.1-magnitude
earthquake struck near the town of Wau in Morobe province. The earthquake was
felt as far away as the capital Port Moresby, about 221 kilometers (137 miles)
south-southeast of the epicenter, but there were no reports of damage or
casualties.
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 more injured
No comments:
Post a Comment