An earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale struck northwestern Papua New Guinea on Sunday, with only material damage reported so far.
The epicenter of the earthquake, which occurred shortly after 4:00 a.m. on Monday local time, but at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday in Lisbon, was located 97 kilometers from the coastal town of Wewak and 62 kilometers deep, according to the Institute. of United States Geophysics (USGS).
A tsunami warning has not been issued for the region. The USGS also warned that the release of loose soil in the earthquake zone, a phenomenon called liquefaction, could still cause landslides and subsidence, causing significant damage.
Earthquakes are classified according to their magnitude as micro (less than 2.0), very small (2.0-2.9), small (3.0-3.9), light (4.0-4.9) , moderate (5.0-5.9), strong (6.0-6.9), large (7.0-7.9), important (8.0-8.9), exceptional (9.0 -9.9) and extreme (greater than 10).
Source: TSF
