7.2-Magnitude Earthquake Near Papua New Guinea

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

July 7,2013; 4:07PM,EDT

 

 

 

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck near Papua New Guinea early Monday morning, local time. No tsunami has been generated.
The epicenter of the earthquake occurred 68 miles east-northeast of Taron, Papua New Guinea, at 4:35 a.m. Monday local time (2:35 p.m. Sunday EDT), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The location of the epicenter is under water, but no tsunami was generated. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 235 miles below the earth's surface, which the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center states is too deep to trigger a tsunami.
That depth has also prevented the resultant shaking from causing damage on the surrounding islands.
AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews explains, "By the time the energy from an earthquake that deep reaches the Earth's surface, the energy is diffused over a wide area."
According to the USGS ShakeMap, only light shaking on the nearby islands would have been felt.

The star indicates the epicenter of the earthquake. Image courtesy of the USGS.