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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea

Via Herald Sun, excerpt :

" AN earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale hit Papua New Guinea this afternoon, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.   

The tremor struck at a depth of 75 miles (121km), about 137 miles (221km) north-northwest of the capital Port Moresby at 3.05pm local time.

Witnesses in Port Moresby told AFP that people came running out of buildings, power lines swayed and parked cars rocked.

"It was pretty strong. Everybody felt it. I was siting in my car when it hit and it was rocking, rocking, rocking," an AFP photographer said.

According to Geoscience Australia, the tremor was not expected to create a tsunami.

"It's not tsunamigenic," seismologist Clive Collins said. "That's the assessment on the basis that it's about 20 kilometers [12 miles] inshore and also it's about 120 kilometers [74 miles] deep and that's too deep really to cause any tsunami problems."

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