Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea A magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook Papua New Guinea on Wednesday morning, the US Geological survey reported. The quake struck 29 miles west of Kimbe town on the island of New Britain. The impact on the surrounding area was not clear, although were no immediate reports of injuries and no tsunami warning was issued. The quake hit the remote region just before 11:00 a.m. local time, striking at a depth of 95 miles, 318 miles northeast of the capital Port Moresby, which is on the main island. Papua New Guinea is regularly hit by earthquakes due to its proximity to the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire," a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. In 1998, a fatal 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the north coast of Papua New Guinea leaving 2,183 dead.