SYDNEY: A powerful 7.0-magnitude quake struck northwestern part of Papua New Guinea before dawn on Monday, the US Geological Survey said.
7-magnitude quake hits Papua New Guinea : USGS
The USGS reported that the quake struck 97 kilometers from the coastal city of Wewak at a depth of 62 kilometers, and took place shortly following 4:00 am local time.
Reports said that no warning of tsunami order has been issued in the area. The USGS stated that loosening of soft ground in the earthquake zone has the potential to damage to people in the area, although the region is thinly populated.
Such loosening, call as liquefaction, can cause subsidence and horizontal sliding of the land and result in damage, the USGS said.
The remote eastern Papua New Guinea was also struck by a magnitude 6.2 quake in February.
