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Massive Magnitude 7.9 Earthquake Strikes Papua New Guinea, Tsunami Warnings Issued Across The Region [Updated]

By Rahul Srinivas
Published on: 23:53 PST, Dec 16, 2016

Update: Hours after the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami warning Center announced that the threat of the tsunami has largely passed. However, it asked governments across the region to maintain watch for a couple of hours more and look for any change in tides.

Orignial report below:

Just nine days after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific ocean, we now have reports of another massive earthquake in the region. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has confirmed a major magnitude 7.9 earthquake in the New Ireland region of Papua New Guinea. Some news outlets have also reported the quake to be of magnitude 8.0. According to USGS data, the earthquake happened at 10:51 hours UTC. The local time in Papua new Guinea was around 9 p.m in the evening. The earthquake had its epicenter around 46 km east of the town of Taron and 128 km (83 miles) east of Kokopo. The earthquake is likely to have released a massive amount of energy owing to the fact that it occurred at a depth of more than 100 kms.

Meanwhile, following the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System has issued a warning to a host of countries that would be affected by a possible tsunami caused by this earthquake. A statement issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning System on their official bulletins page read as follows.

“An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.9 occurred in the new Ireland region, Papua New Guinea at 1051 UTC on Saturday, September 17, 2016. Based on all available data, hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts.”

The bulletin warns that tsunami waves reaching more than 3 meters above the tide level are possible across several islands belonging to Papua New Guinea dotted across the region. For other areas, the waves would be much less threatening with a maximum height of just over 0.3 meters. The tsunami warning center has also asked people living along the coast to tune into all official governmental broadcasts who would be better equipped to efficiently disseminate information. Those living near the coast have been told to stay alert and to listen to any instructions that come from national and local authorities. Here are the estimated times of arrival for the Tsunami waves. Note that the actual ETAs may vary – and in some cases, the tsunami may not come at all.

Local residents living off the coast near the Bougainville region of the country fled to higher ground shortly after the quake hit, Reuters reports – some even before an official warning came.

ESTIMATED TIMES OF ARRIVAL

LOCATION REGION COORDINATES ETA (UTC)

————————————————————

  • AMUN PAPUA NEW GUINEA 6.0S 154.7E 1121 12/17
  • RABAUL PAPUA NEW GUINEA 4.2S 152.3E 1123 12/17
  • KIETA PAPUA NEW GUINEA 6.1S 155.6E 1125 12/17
  • FALAMAE SOLOMON ISLANDS 7.4S 155.6E 1132 12/17
  • WOODLARK ISLAND PAPUA NEW GUINEA 9.0S 152.9E 1133 12/17
  • KAVIENG PAPUA NEW GUINEA 2.5S 150.7E 1146 12/17
  • ULAMONA PAPUA NEW GUINEA 5.0S 151.3E 1156 12/17
  • LAE PAPUA NEW GUINEA 6.8S 147.0E 1203 12/17
  • PORT MORESBY PAPUA NEW GUINEA 9.3S 146.9E 1339 12/17

As mentioned earlier, this is the second major earthquake to hit the region in less than two weeks time. There have been several aftershocks since the main earthquake – all of them significantly large in size in their own right. The first aftershock was a magnitude 5.5. tremor that shook the region just minutes after the initial main quake. This was followed by a larger, magnitude 6.0 temblor – again, a few minutes later.

As of posting this update, a third, large aftershock of magnitude 5.3 has been also reported nearly 6 hours after the initial quake. Details awaited.

Update: No major damage to life or property have been reported from the country following the earthquake. However, a clearer picture of the damage (if any) would only be clear by daybreak.

[Featured Image by scym/Pixabay]

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