According to the US Geological Survey, a strong 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck northern Papua New Guinea early on Monday.
The temblor happened just after 4:00 am local time, 62 kilometers (or miles) beneath the surface, 97 kilometers (or miles) from the coastal town of Wewak. No tsunami warning was given.
Despite the region being sparsely populated, the USGS warned that the loosening of soft earth in the quake zone could harm nearby communities.
According to the seismology organization, this loosening, or liquefaction, can result in significant subsidence, horizontal ground sliding, and significant damage.
On the territory of New Guinea, the earthquake occurred about 100 kilometers east of the Indonesian border.
Late in February, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck the isolated New Britain area, which is a part of an archipelago in eastern Papua New Guinea.
