Singapore, March 26: An earthquake of magnitude 7 rattled Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Monday. As per reports by the US Geological Survey (USGS), there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.  The quake on Monday, a series of earthquakes in the region over recent days, struck 180 km west of the town of Rabaul, on New Britain island, at a shallow depth of 10 km, the USGS said.

There was no immediate tsunami warning. Papua New Guinea is a very seismically active region. On an average, this area has 3 earthquakes of this size every year.  The recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.

Papua New Guinea is part of the 'Ring of Fire' - the term given to the belt of islands between US and Japan which remain prone to earthquakes.  In PNG, the last major earthquake was reported earlier in the month, which claimed lives of 55 individuals.

As per reports by Earthquake Alerts, a 1.8 magnitude earthquake was also reported from 17 km from Bear Valley Springs, California in the United States. As per reports by Daily Mail, the earthquake was recorded 150kms east of Kimbe, in the province of West New Britain. The report further added that the massive earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 40kms about 8pm. The island was hit by a 6.8 magnitude quake two days ago, sparking tsunami fears.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2018 04:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).