600,000 Rattled By 6.5 Magnitude Quake With 68-Mile-Deep Tremor

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A deep magnitude-6.5 earthquake beneath Papua New Guinea’s highlands produced widespread shaking with limited damage, underscoring how depth can reduce surface impact. Seismologists reported the Papua New Guinea earthquake as a deep earthquake within the Pacific Ring of Fire, allowing waves to travel far without intensifying local damage. The magnitude 6.5 earthquake was felt across the Eastern Highlands and neighboring regions where more than 600,000 residents live, prompting low-impact alerts and monitoring. The event occurred where the Pacific and Australian plates interact, illustrating how stress releases at depth can be widely felt while less destructive.

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00:00600,000 rattled by 6.5 magnitude quake with 68-mile-deep tremor.

00:07A deep earthquake beneath Papua New Guinea's highlands sent widespread tremors across the region,

00:12rattling hundreds of thousands but causing limited impact,

00:16showing how depth can sharply reduce an earthquake's damage.

00:20Earthquakes across the Pacific Rim are a constant reminder

00:23that the region is one of the most active seismic zones on Earth.

00:27While each event is independent, clusters of strong earthquakes keep scientists

00:32closely watching how stress shifts along major plate boundaries.

00:36Papua New Guinea sits directly on the Pacific Ring of Fire,

00:40a 40,000-kilometer arc responsible for about 90% of the world's major earthquakes.

00:46Frequent tremors are a defining feature of life here,

00:49shaped by powerful geological forces beneath the surface.

00:52The earthquake originated where the Pacific Plate interacts with the Australian Plate,

00:57slow but relentless plate movement builds stress deep underground, over time.

01:02When that stress releases, earthquakes occur,

01:05sometimes shallow and destructive, other times deep and less damaging.

01:11Seismic instruments recorded the quake as a magnitude 6.5 event with a deep hypocenter.

01:17That depth allowed seismic waves to travel long distances,

01:21explaining why the shaking was felt across wide areas despite minimal surface destruction.

01:25Tremors extended across the eastern highlands and into neighboring regions,

01:30where more than 600,000 people live.

01:33Deep earthquakes transmit energy efficiently through bedrock,

01:37often expanding the felt area without intensifying local damage.

01:41Residents described a sudden jolt, followed by rolling motion.

01:45In towns and remote villages alike, people stepped outside to check homes,

01:49especially those built on steep slopes.

01:51While fear was momentary, no widespread damage was reported.

01:55Monitoring agencies issued low-impact alerts,

01:58reflecting the reduced risk associated with deep earthquakes.

02:02Even so, aftershocks and nearby faults remained under observation,

02:06as deep events can still influence regional stress patterns.

02:10At significant depth, much of an earthquake's energy dissipates before reaching the surface.

02:14This reduces ground acceleration, structural damage,

02:18and secondary hazards such as landslides,

02:21key reasons why this quake avoided disaster.

02:24Even without major damage, the quake highlights how millions in Papua New Guinea live

02:28atop active tectonic boundaries,

02:31where constant plate movement makes preparedness and monitoring essential

02:34in one of the world's most seismically active regions.

02:37We'll see you next time.

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600,000 Rattled By 6.5 Magnitude Quake With 68-Mile-Deep Tremor

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