Papua New Guinea, a ring of fire country in the Pacific Ocean, was hit by an earthquake of 6.2 Magnitude late on Saturday, as per the United States Geological Survey report (USGS).
The focus of the earthquake was at a depth of 38 kilometers, with shivers felt up to 80 km.
The earthquake was recorded in the sparsely populated area in the archipelago area of West New Britain., hence no damage has been caused.
Currently Tsunami warning has not been issued in the area and as per the experts there is no risk of a tsunami.
HOW DOES AN EARTHQUAKE CAUSE A TSUNAMI
The most destructive tsunamis are generally caused due to high-magnitude earthquakes (7.5 magnitude and higher). When the epicenter or fault line of an earthquake is located near or on the ocean floor, this displacement of land under the ocean floor causes disturbance on the ocean surface thus generating tsunami waves.
The Great 1960 Chilean Tsunami was generated by an earthquake of magnitude 9.5. The tsunami waves were not only destructive in Chile but the extent of destruction extended until Hawaii, Japan and the surrounding areas in the Pacific.
More than 80% of the world’s tsunamis occur in the Pacific along the Ring of Fire subduction zones. The high seismicity of such regions is caused by the collision of tectonic plates and subduction around the tectonic plate boundaries.
WHY IS THE RING OF FIRE SO PRONE TO EARTHQUAKES
The Ring of Fire is the area circumscribing the Pacific Ocean, characterized by the majority of the world’s active volcanoes and earthquakes.
This area traces boundaries along several tectonic plates like the Pacific Plate, Juan de Fuca plate, Cocos plate, Indian- Australian Plate, North American and Philippines Plate.
Due to the profuse movement of these tectonic plates in this area, an abundance of volcanoes and earthquakes occur. The majority of the Ring of Fire is characterized by the overlap of plates at convergent boundaries (subduction zones), as the rock is subducted, it melts and becomes magma, hence the presence of the magma so close to the earth’s surface provides an adequate condition for volcanic activity.
The boundary of Pacific and North American Plates along this stretch is a transform boundary where the plates move sidewards past one another, causing a large number of earthquakes.
REASONS FOR EARTHQUAKES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
New Guinea is the second largest island in the world. Due to the tectonic movement, the island has acquired a bird-like shape and is also famous for birds of paradise. A rugged mountain range from the “tail” to the “neck” forms the spine of the island.
The area is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis due to its presence in the Australian and Pacific plates. Both of these plates are constantly converging with each other, and the complex interactions of several microplates have constantly caused disturbances in this area .In September 2022 also, east of Papua New Guinea witnessed an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude and left 5 dead.
Papua New Guinea being one of the most seismically active areas in the world witnessed more than 100 earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater occur every year.