7.0-magnitude quake hits off Papua New Guinea: USGS

SYDNEY: A 7.0-magnitude quake struck off the northeast of Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning issued.

The quake hit at 5:13 pm (0713 GMT) 141 kilometres (88 miles) north of the country's second largest city of Lae and 443 kilometres from the capital Port Moresby at a depth of 201 kilometres, it said.

"A destructive tsunami was not generated based on earthquake and historical tsunami data," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement.

Geoscience Australia measured the quake at 6.8 magnitude and at a depth of 215 kilometres but agreed it was unlikely to generate dangerous waves in the developing Pacific island nation.

"It's pretty deep so it's not a tsunami threat we believe, even though it's slightly offshore," Geoscience Australia seismologist Clive Collins told.

Collins said there had been reports of the quake being felt as far away as Goroko, a highland region about 250 kilometres from the epicentre. (AFP)