Magnitude 7.5 quake strikes off Papua New Guinea: USGS

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck off Papua New Guinea tonight, the US Geological Survey said, with a tsunami warning issued.

The quake hit 75 kilometres south-west of the town of Panguna on Bougainville island, USGS said, and came after a 6.6-magnitude tremor earlier Saturday.

A tsunami warning was issued for Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, adding that it was "not known that a tsunami was generated".

The quake struck at a depth of 30 kilometres just before 11:30 pm, USGS said. It reported another 5.6-magnitude quake had happened around 20 minutes later in the same area at a depth of 69 kilometres.
 

A 6.6-magnitude quake occurred in the same area on Saturday morning, USGS reported earlier.

Quakes of such magnitude are common in PNG, which sits on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.