Fresh 7.1 quake strikes off PNG island

An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 has struck to the east of the PNG island of New Britain less than two weeks after a 7.5-strong quake killed more than 100 people.

An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 has struck 135 km east of the town of Rabaul, on the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea's island of New Britain.

Although the quake, which struck at 3.39am Friday, was under the seabed at a relatively shallow depth of 10km, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of a tsunami.

A quake of magnitude 7.5 struck the rugged highlands of the Papua New Guinea mainland on February 26, killing more than 100 people.