At least five dead in a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea experienced a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that left at least five dead. According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at a depth of 38 miles about 41 miles from the eastern town of Kainantu. The quake shook the country, damaged buildings and triggered landslides. As per information, two persons died in remote mountain villages. Three others were buried alive. Arrangements were made to airlift four others to hospital. They were in critical condition. There was widespread damage as a landslide buried homes and “split” one village where people “lost their houses.” The nation’s leader, James Marape, described the earthquake as “massive.” He advised his people to be cautious and added that the damage would not be as massive as the 2018 earthquake. It had killed an estimated 150 people. Five killed as powerful earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea. The authorities have yet to assess the extent of damage and number of casualties.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Asia and the Pacific said people had suffered injuries from falling structures or debris, and some health centers, homes, rural roads and highways are damaged. There are damages in the power infrastructure with consequent outages across the Eastern Highlands. Residents shared images and videos on social media of cracked roads, damaged buildings and cars, and items falling off supermarket shelves. Small aviation companies and missionary groups involved themselves to airlift some of the injured across the rugged jungle landscape. Locals who resided near the epicenter described the vibration as much more vigorous than previous quakes. Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea because it sits on the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire.” This is a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. A 9.1 magnitude quake in Indonesia in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region.

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Are earthquakes in Kansas linked to fracking?

#kansasearthquake #fracking Officials have revealed, for the first time, that a sharp increase in earthquakes in Kansas could be attributed to an increase of fracking – fracking is a process devised to extract oil from the rocks by boring underground tunnels to reach the source of oil.
The process is a controversial one and in view of the increase in the number of tremors reported, especially in the state's south-central region, scientists are connecting them to the disposal of wastewater that is a byproduct of the oil-and-gas extraction process.
In the opinion of Rick Miller, geophysicist and senior scientist for the Kansas Geological Survey, there is a strong correlation between the disposal of saltwater and the earthquakes. It seems during the hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” the operators make use of a mixture of saltwater and chemicals. The purpose is to break the underground rock formations so as to release oil and gas. Subsequently, to get rid of the water, the operators inject it deep into disposal wells.
Incidentally, fracking is at present a highly charged issue at the state government level and New York has recently linked up with Vermont to ban the process.
Fracking is not a new practice. However, the sudden spike in seismic activity in Kansas has become a matter of concern. As per reports of the Kansas Geological Survey, the state has recorded over 120 quakes in 2014, as against none in 2012.
Availability of fracking oil has reduced the price of oil globally - but, the danger of quakes need also to be addressed and tackled.