6.4 magnitude earthquake rattles tectonic plate boundary near Papua New Guinea

November 28, 2011 – SYDNEY (AFP) – A strong 6.4–magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea’s remote New Britain region on Monday but there was no danger of a tsunami, seismologists said. The United States (US) Geological Survey said the quake hit at 10.26 pm (1226 GMT, 8.26pm Singapore time) at a depth of 50km about 221km south-east of Rabaul, New Britain. Geoscience Australia gave the quake a preliminary measurement of magnitude 6.0. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there were no tsunami warnings or advisories in effect following the quake. –Straits Times

Puerto Rico: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck 94 km (58 miles) off the Puerto Rican island of San Juan. The region has been plagued by a series of seismic swarms in recent months that have only intensified in frequency around the Virgin Islands and near Santo Domingo. The Caribbean tectonic plate is growing more stressful by the day and today’s 5.1 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks will do little to alleviate the tension building along this violent trench. We expect more turbulence for this region and the Pan-American countries to the West bordering the Cocos plate. –The Extinction Protocol