6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Papua New Guinea

US Geological Survey

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued. 

The quake hit at 02:15 am (16:15 GMT) 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Rabaul, in Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain province and 885 kilometers northeast of the capital Port Moresby at a depth of 85 kilometers.

Quakes of such magnitude are common in impoverished Papua New Guinea, which sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire“, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. Last month, the country was hit by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake but while the tremor was widely felt it was too deep, at 105 kilometers, to cause much damage.

Earlier in March, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the New Britain region of the country, with no damage or injuries reported.

A giant tsunami in 1998, caused by an undersea earthquake, killed more than 2,000 people near Aitape, on the country’s northwest coast.