Acehtsunami

A magnitude 7 earthquake shook Papua New Guinea on Thursday, U.S. Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of fatalities or damage and no threat of a significant tsunami in the South Pacific’s most populous island nation. The agency said in a statement that the quake struck near the island region of New Britain 352 miles (566 kilometers) northeast of the national capital Port Moresby.

Nellie Setepano, a reporter, reported there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. David Walsh, an oceanographer at, said there was no risk of a major tsunami, possibly because the quake was 34 miles (54 kilometers) below the Earth’s crust.

Papua New Guinea lies on the “Ring of Fire” — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that extends around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world’s quakes take place.