6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes region of Papua New Guinea

May 16, 2012 – PAPUA NG – A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, but no tsunami warning was immediately issued. The quake hit the remote New Britain region at a depth of 154 kilometers, 512km northeast of Port Moresby, the US Geological Survey said. Powerful earthquakes are common in impoverished PNG, which sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a hot spot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. A giant tsunami in 1998 killed more than 2,000 people near Aitape, on the country’s northwest coast.  –News