By NewsGram Staff Writer

In a latest incident of seismic activity, Papua New Guinea was hit by a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake today morning.The epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 10 Km at 5.6 degrees south latitude and 152.1 degrees east longitude, according to the US Geological Survey.

It was followed by a 5.9 M aftershock 10 minutes after the primary seismic activity. As the epicenter of the quake was in the ocean, there is a possibility of tsunami. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has issued a prompt tsunami warning saying, "hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 km of the earthquake epicenter."

The first warning issued by PTWC estimated that destructive waves could hit the Australian city of Cairns at 5:10 UTC and Brisbane at 6:07 UTC. But, the revised warning says that waves reaching 0.3 to 1 meter above tidal level were expected only on some coasts of Papua New Guinea.

This year, the planet has faced 26 significant earthquakes according to the US Geological Survey, with 19 quakes touching 6 M and above.