Strong 7.0 earthquake strikes off Indonesia

A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake has struck the Indonesian province of Papua, US geologists said Tuesday, although tsunami monitors said there was no threat of dangerous waves.

The quake hit at 06:41 am (2141 GMT Monday), almost 250 kilometres (150 miles) west of the provincial capital Jayapura at a depth of 52 km, the US Geological Survey said.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of any tsunami waves from the quake, which occurred inland underneath the Irian Jaya jungle.

The Earthquake-Report monitoring website said the area has "steep mountain ranges and its vegetation is rainforest, which means that the chance on dangerous landslides is real".

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.