6.4 earthquake hits off Papua New Guinea

Sydney: A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey, but no Pacific-wide tsunami warning was issued.

The tremor hit at a depth of five kilometres near the sparsely-populated East New Britain region, some 210 kilometres southeast of the town of Kokopo, the USGS said. 

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre did not issue a tsunami warning.

Earthquakes are common near Papua New Guinea, which lies on the 4,000-kilometre-long Pacific-Australia plate.

It forms part of the “Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.