It’s 30 quakes a day in East New Britain

Port Moresby (The National/PINA Nius Online) – East New Britain is reeling under the daily onslaught of up to 30 major and minor earthquakes following the big one that jolted the province last Thursday, the Rabaul Volcano Observatory has reported.

Some of the stronger ones have notched up between 5.5 and 6.6 on the Richter scale, the observatory reported.

It said Thursday’s earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 had disturbed the stressed regime of the tectonic plates in the region and triggered a sequence of minor earthquakes that were being felt daily.

The observatory said the earthquakes are tectonic in origin and not related to the eruptive activity of the Tavurvur volcano in Rabaul.

While the observatory has not issued any major warning, scores of residents in Rabaul have fled the scene in fear of eruption.

“Thursday’s quake had apparently disturbed the stressed regime of the Pacific, the South Bismarck Sea and the Solomon Sea plates thereby triggering the earthquakes that are being felt at regular intervals in East New Britain,” Acting Director of the Rabaul Volcano Observatory Ima Ipikarai told The National yesterday afternoon.

The islands of New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville are located on these tectonic setting.

He added that the sources of these earthquakes have been pinpointed at the triple junction of the plates in the Weitin Fault which lies south of New Ireland and southwest of Rabaul near Pomio.

The source of Thursday’s strong quake was located at about 95 kilometers north, north-east of Rabaul.

Chris McKee, from the Geological Survey Department, said last night the area was undergoing a major tectonic readjustment and more aftershocks could be expected for some time.

He described the area as seismically one of the most active in the world.

Meanwhile, landslides and rock falls on the major Rabaul-Kokopo road have become a common occurrence since Thursday’s quake.

Fortunately, most of the landslides are occurring during late hours when no traffic is on the road.

Provincial Disaster and Emergency Committee chairman Hosea Turbarat and his committee members took to the air via Radio East New Britain on Thursday afternoon to explain the situation to the public and allay fears of a major eruption.

District administrators are assessing their damages and will report back to the provincial administration.

A survey, however, conducted by The National in Kokopo and Rabaul at the weekend revealed that many homes suffered burst water tanks and while several bush material homes collapsed.

A minor tsunami also struck Rabaul, Kokopo, Vunapope, Wide Bay, Kabakada and the Duke of York Islands with reports of several houses at two coastal villages being washed away on the islands when the tsunami reached inland for up to 20 meters in places.

Several floating two-tone containers which were deposited on the Atam Road 20 meters inland from the Rabaul port attested to the strength of the tsunami. Many workers including staff at the Kokopo Post Office fled their station last Thursday and have not reported for work since.

Electricity and communications were also disrupted with parts of Rabaul going without electricity for up to three days. Both services, however, have now been restored.