An earthquake of 7.9 magnitude hit Papua New Guinea on Sunday, setting off a tsunami alert for the Pacific islands in the region. The earthquake struck 47 km west of Arawa on the north coast of Bougainville island. The depth of the earthquake was put at 154 km. Bougainville island is home to around 3,00,000 people.
Waves of 0.3 to one meter above tidal level is expected along the coast of Papua New Guinea and Solomon islands, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in an advisory. However, the country’s Geophysical Observatory Office said a tsunami was unlikely. “Because of the depth of the great depth of the earthquake it is unlikely that there will be any significant tsunami activity,” Assistant Director Chris McKee told Reuters.
He said there had been no reports of casualties or damages after the earthquake. Australia and New Zealand said their internal assessments did not indicate any immediate threat to their coastlines.
Earthquakes are common in the region. The Pacific nation sits in the “Ring of Fire”, where the world’s most active fault lines are located. There are more than 400 underwater volcanoes located along the horseshoe-shaped ring, which extends from New Zealand through Japan to the tip of South America.