5.8 quake hits Papua New Guinea: US seismologists

Feb 16, 2012 |

Sydney

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A shallow 5.8-magnitude quake struck Papua New Guinea early on Thursday, the US Geological Survey reported, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake hit in the Eastern New Guinea region at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles) just after midnight (Wednesday 1400 GMT), with its epicentre 87 kilometres south of the coastal city of Lae, the USGS said.

Papua New Guinea is regularly hit by earthquakes due to its proximity to the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.

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