6.3 magnitude earthquake jolts Papua New Guinea, tremors felt in Indonesia

Strong tremors were felt around the eastern Indonesian region of Papua, after an earthquake hit the region at around 5:24 pm (0824 GMT) on August 12.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the magnitude of the earthquake was nearly 6.3 and the depth was around 10kms.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center added that the region had no threat of a tsunami after being hit by the earthquake. The epicentre of the earthquake was around 193 kilometres northwest of the town of Abepura in Papua.

The places around the area, including Jayapura in Papua, Indonesia; Vanimo and Sandaun in Papua New Guinea; Agats in South Papua, Indonesia; and Nabire in Central Papua, Indonesia, also experienced tremors when the calamity shook the area.

Peak ground velocity during the earthquake was at nearly 20 cms per second, which falls under the category of ‘very strong shaking’ according to USGS' official website.

This comes just about five days after the New Britain region in Papua New Guinea was jolted by another quake with a magnitude of 5.9, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

The quake was at a depth of 58 km (36.04 miles), EMSC said. Last month, Papua New Guinea experienced similar tremors, when an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude struck the region. The earthquake was at a depth of 106 kms (66 miles), according to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ)

Earlier in April 2025, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland province on April 12, Saturday. The earthquake in April struck at a depth of 72 km (44 miles) about 115 km southeast of the town of Kokopo, read the USGS website.