Seismic volatility a part of life in PNG

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – There have been no reports of significant damage or casualties from a big earthquake in Papua New Guinea on Saturday night.

The magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck about 50 kilometres off the south eastern coast of New Ireland province, shortly before 9.00pm PNG time.

Provincial administrations and disaster management teams assessing the impacts of Saturday’s night’s big earthquake have yet to send in full reports.

Communications with the region near the epicentre are patchy, and initial assessments still haven’t reached central agencies.

A spokesperson with New Ireland’s administration Monica Harris said the provincial disaster team based in Kavieng was communicating with ships in the remote far southern end of New Ireland, nearer the epicentre, for initial assessments.

“The area, Konoagil, which is that very southern tip, that would have felt it the strongest, and it’s a pretty remote area. And the epicentre was between that area and towards the Bougainville sea.”

The quake was measured by the US Geological Survey at a depth of 103 kilometres. It triggered a widespread tsunami warning for the Pacific Islands region which was downgraded within two hours.

A seismologist at the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory, Mathew Moihoi, says the quake was quite deep.

“If we consider it to be that deep, it will not have enough energy to, you know, displace the seafloor in that way. Probably there was some, you know, small disturbances along the shoreline, but it was probably not enough to have an impact on people.”

Still, it was a big long shake that sent people fleeing from lower ground in PNG’s nearby autonomous region of Bougainville.

A nurse at the Buka General Hospital in Bougainville, Tracey Anunfi, says houses were shaking and people were running for the hills.

“It was scary, it was frightening, the first of its kind, because it shook and lasted for minutes. All of us, including the hospital that were down at the town area we all managed to move up to higher ground.”

In East New Britain the provincial administration says disaster officers are still on the ground assessing potential damage.

As in New Ireland, power was knocked out briefly in various parts of New Britain, but initial reports indicate minimal damage in the province.

Seismologist Moihoi says the region where the quake struck is well known as seismically active.

“That Northern Solomons Sea area, we have been having many of the bigger events over the years now, so it is not unusual that those kind of earthquakes will happen.”

He says there have been many aftershocks, including one of at least magnitude six. Moihoi says it is normal that aftershocks will continue. - RNZI