PNG hit by 7.7-magnitude offshore quake

PNG hit by 7.7-magnitude offshore quake

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea, US seismologists say, with “hazardous” tsunami waves possible within 1000 kilometres of the epicentre.

The quake hit at a depth of 65 kilometres, about 54 kilometres from the nearest city of Kokopo on New Britain island and 789 kilometres from the capital Port Moresby, the United States Geological Survey said.

“Based on preliminary earthquake parameters… hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1000 kilometres of the earthquake epicentre,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories.

The tsunami risk was expected to be limited to PNG and the Solomon Islands.

The initial quake was followed by a smaller 5.7-magnitude aftershock in the same area.

Geoscience Australia seismologist Jonathan Bathgate said there was a possibility of a local tsunami but based on the magnitude of the quake it was likely to be on the lower end of the scale.

“Although people would have felt strong shaking… there’s probably not going to be a lot of widely spread damage,” he said.

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