Tsunami warning issued after powerful earthquake off Papua New Guinea

The quake of 7.9 magnitude struck 46 km east of Taron in Papua New Guinea on 10:51 GMT (8:51 p.m. local time) of December 17, according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicenter of the quake was at depth of 103 km off the east coast of New Ireland in the east of the country.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has issued a tsunami warning for meters height waves are possible, according to reports.

The New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management also issued an official tsunami warning for New Zealand, before later tweeting there was “no threat” to the country, and cancelling the warning.

There is no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland or islands, but dangerous tsunami waves could hit coastal areas of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Nauru and other islands in the three hours following the quake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

The quake occurred 60 kilometres east of Taron on New Ireland island at 9.51pm AEDT on Saturday at a depth of 73.4 kilometres.

It’s a vast area where about 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur, according to the USGS.

It should be recalled that a powerful earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hit about 30 km off the cost of Makira island, Solomon Islands on December 9.