An earthquake, measuring at a magnitude of 6.4 hit Papua, New Guinea Wednesday, causing no damage and no warnings of a tsunami, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

NDTV stated the quake struck just before 9:15a.m. and was 19 miles north of Rabauel, traveling 11 miles deep into the earth.

Rabaul was affected in 1994 by an erupting volcano, which destroyed a number of buildings, but seismologists said this time it probably did not suffer any damage.

"It would certainly have given the area a good shake but Rabaul is on the edge of our damage radius," seismologist John Bathgate from Geoscience Australia told the Agence French Presse, based on the NDTV report.

"There's potential for some damage, but expect it to be very minimal," he added.

Bathgate said that damage would be more likely in coastal areas of New Ireland.

"There was potential for a localised tsunami but it would have passed by now and we have had no reports about one. "It's not unusual for the area to experience this type of quakes, or even larger," he said in the statement.

Quakes of such magnitude are common in PNG because it sits on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.

Last week, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit the country's north but no major damage was reported.