Magnitude 6.9 quake hits Papua New Guinea: USGS

Magnitude 6.9 quake hits Papua New Guinea: USGS
by AFP Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP) Mar 23, 2024

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit northern Papua New Guinea on Sunday morning, the United States Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was "no tsunami threat" from the inland quake, which struck at 6:22 am local time (2022 GMT Saturday) at a depth of approximately 35 kilometres (21 miles).

The "notable quake" hit some 88 kilometres (54 miles) southwest of Wewak, the USGS said, a town of 25,000 people that serves as the capital of Papua New Guinea's East Sepik province.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The tremor was downgraded from an preliminary magnitude of 7.0.

Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on top of the seismic "Ring of Fire" -- an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Although they seldom cause widespread damage in the sparsely populated jungle highlands, they can trigger destructive landslides.

At least seven people were killed in April last year when a 7.0-magnitude quake hit a jungle-clad area in the country's interior.

Many of the island nation's nine million citizens live outside major towns and cities, where the difficult terrain and lack of sealed roads can seriously hamstring search-and-rescue efforts.

Magnitude-6.4 quake hits off Indonesia's Java island: USGS
Jakarta (AFP) Mar 22, 2024 - A magnitude-6.4 offshore earthquake hit near Indonesia's Java island on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said, with the tremor felt in the capital Jakarta and forcing residents of another city to flee their homes.

The quake had a depth of approximately eight kilometres (five miles), and struck off Java island's northern coast near Bawean island at about 3:52 pm local time (0852 GMT), the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and no tsunami warning was issued by local authorities.

The quake was felt more strongly in East Java Province, including in the city of Surabaya and the coastal town of Tuban.

"I was at home when the earthquake struck. The jolt made us unsteady. The water in the sewer (outside) was swaying," said Yulianus Andre, an AFP journalist in the city.

"My family and I rushed out of home and our neighbours did too. The jolt lasted more than a minute when we were outside."

Muhammad Nurkholis, a resident of Tuban, said the tremor lasted around a minute.

"Initially I did not feel it, but when I saw water in the aquarium swaying, I started to realise that the ground was swaying," he said.

Two buildings were damaged in Tuban, according to local authorities.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent earthquakes due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

A magnitude-6.2 quake that shook Sulawesi island in January 2021 killed more than 100 people and left thousands homeless.

In 2018, a magnitude-7.5 quake and subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi killed more than 2,200 people.

And in 2004, a magnitude-9.1 quake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia.