5-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Northern Papua New Guinea

General

A 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck Tuesday the city of Lorengau, northern Papua New Guinea.

The US Geological Survey reported in a statement that the epicenter of the earthquake was located 113 kilometers south of Lorengau, at a depth of 10 kilometers, with no reports of human or material losses as a result of the earthquake so far.

Papua New Guinea is located in an area called the Ring of Fire, an area that extends along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and is characterized by high earthquake and volcanic activity.

This area includes 90 percent of the world’s active volcanoes.

Although these earthquakes rarely cause significant damage in these sparsely populated areas, they can lead to devastating landslides.

In February 2018, the country witnessed an earthquake that killed at least 100 people and caused landslides that buried dozens of villages.

Source: Qatar News Agency