6.9 earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea

A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck near Papua New Guinea's New Britain region on Friday, triggering a tsunami threat and an aftershock.

Map from the USGS shows a 6.9 magnitude earthquake striking near the New Britain region of Papua New Guinea Friday afternoon.

Map shows epicenter of 6.9M earthquake near Papua New Guinea. (United States Geological Survey)

New Britain region, Papua New Guinea earthquake

At around 1:04 p.m. PT, the USGS reported a magnitude 7.2 earthquake striking about 108 miles east-southeast of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea. After further review, the quake was downgraded to a magnitude 6.9.

In Papua New Guinea, the earthquake struck at 6:04 a.m. on Saturday, April 5 at a depth of about 6.2 miles.

A 5.3M aftershock was felt at 1:39 p.m. PT, according to the USGS.

Papua New Guinea earthquake tsunami warning

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service issued a tsunami threat.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

While many variables are involved, geologists say damage typically does not occur until an earthquake’s magnitude exceeds 4 or 5.

The Source: Information for this article came from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS).