Papua New Guinea hit by 6.3 magnitude earthquake

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the richter scale hit the coast of Papua New Guinea's Bougainville Island on Tuesday morning.

The quake hit 96 kilometres southwest of Panguna at 0019 GMT, according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicenter was 104 kilometres southwest of the larger town of Arawa also on Bougainville Island and USGS said it was 30 kilometres deep, which is considered shallow.

The seismologists had earlier reported the quake's strength at 6.7 magnitude, but later revised the figure.

Quakes are common on the island nation, which lies on the 4,000-kilometre-long Pacific Australia plate, which forms part of the "Ring of Fire", a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.