A major earthquake off the coast of Papua New Guinea, part of the Australasia ecozone and set upon the Ring of Fire (a place of great tectonic activity), prompted tsunami warnings from officials, who now say the threat has "largely passed."
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the magnitude 7.5 occurred at 11:48 p.m. UTC (7:48 p.m. EDT) "as the result of thrust faulting on or near the plate boundary interface between the subducting Australia and overriding Pacific plates. At the location of the earthquake, the Australia plate moves towards the east-northeast at a velocity of 105 mm/yr with respect to the Pacific plate, and begins its subduction into the mantle beneath New Britain and New Ireland at the New Britain Trench south of the earthquake."
The earth quake hit at a depth of 33 kilometers (20 miles), about 54 kilometers (34 miles) from the nearest city of Kokopo Panguna on New Britain island and 789 kilometers (489 miles) from the capital Port Moresby, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Mika Tuvi, an employee at the Rabaul Hotel near Kokopo, told ABC News the ground shook powerfully for five minutes, but Tuvi has not noted any major damage in the area.
The final message from NOAA's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center states, "The tsunami threat has now largely passed," but advises local government agencies to use their own judgment. The center also urges citizen of the impacted regions to remain alert.
