*6.1 Earthquake hits Bougainville*

May 01, 2007 12:01pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse

A 6.1-MAGNITUDE earthquake struck today in the Solomon Sea near the
Papua New Guinean island of Bougainville, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake was centred 113km southwest of the town of Arawa in
Bougainville and 175km from Chirovanga in the Solomon Islands.

There were no early reports of any damage from the quake, which the USGS
said occurred at a depth of 10km at 11.15am (10.15am AEST).

Geoscience Australia said the quake occurred 50-70km deep and was
unlikely to cause a tsunami.

There have been a large number of quakes and aftershocks since April 2,
when a 8.0-magnitude quake nearby in the western Solomon Islands
unleashed a tsunami with waves up to several metres high.

At least 52 people were killed and thousands left homeless.