7.2 magnitude earthquake jolts Papua New Guinea's capital

The quake struck at a depth of 80 kilometers at a latitude of -4.34 and a longitude of 143.23.

Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea): An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 jolted Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). Port Moresby is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea, a country in Oceania. "Earthquake of Magnitude:7.2, Occurred on 02-04-2023, 23:34:12 IST, Lat: -4.34 & Long: 143.23, Depth: 80 Km, Location: 715km NW of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea," NCS said in a tweet. The quake struck at a depth of 80 kilometers at a latitude of -4.34 and a longitude of 143.23.

Earlier last month, two earthquakes of magnitude 7 and 5 struck in the Kermadec Islands region, located north of New Zealand, according to a Unites States Geological Survey (USGS) statement. The first quake with M7, another quake of magnitude 5 struck the uninhabited islands of New Zealand fifty minutes later. This was also recorded by the USGS.

The first quake was reported at a depth of 22 km and hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 kilometers of the epicenter, said one of the warnings issued by the agency in case of high-intensity quakes. The second quake was reported at a depth of 10 km.

New Zealand is seated on the edges of two major tectonic plates – the Pacific Plate and the Australian Plate. This makes it prone to earthquakes. The island country is also located on the edge of an intense seismic activity zone commonly known as the 'Ring of Fire'.