A powerful magnitude 7 earthquake struck northwestern Papua New Guinea before dawn Monday, the US Survey of Geophysics (USGS) said. The epicenter of the quake, which struck shortly after 4 am Monday (6 pm GMT Sunday), is 97 km from the coastal city of Wewak, at a depth of 62 km, according to the USGS.
No tsunami alert issued.
Potential landslides
The institute said the loosening of loose soil in the quake area could potentially affect the local population, even though the area is sparsely populated. Such a release, called liquefaction, can cause subsidence and horizontal landslides and significant damage, the USGS said.
The earthquake struck an area 100 km east of the Indonesian border, on the island of New Guinea.
In late February, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the New Britain region of eastern Papua New Guinea.
Source: BFM TV
