Earthquake tremors are a natural part of life here, some of them you don’t even feel depending on what you are doing at the time or where you happen to be. A tremor feels like when you are on the highway and driving straight and a big semi trailer goes past and you feel this whoosh feeling where time stands still for a moment and you might brace a little and then it is past. For me it is a bit like turbulence when in a plane; get the heart pumping and getting a free ride at the entertainment park. I also like big storms, watching the lighting flash and feeling the rumble of thunder roll across the earth. My pulse quickens and the senses come alive.
Then there are earthquakes. The feeling of an earthquake is quite surreal, well that is how I found it Sunday (today) afternoon sitting under my friend Andi’s house. There we were, a dozen of us, sitting in plastic chairs on the concrete under the house chatting and having a beer when the vibrations started. Being used to tremors which sometimes I feel half a dozen times a day, we kept on sitting and chatting while giving curious looks to each for 30 seconds.
The vibration felt more jerky than normal and stronger, they were not consistent where they build up and then normally stop. These felt different, and they were different. 30 seconds later, there was a pause and then it picked up. Dashing out from under the house we moved into open space, adults checking that all of the children were accounted for as we stood in a semi-circle looking at each other. It was almost comical in that moment.
There was a part of me that knew what was going on and my brain was logically running through what I know of earthquakes, what I had read in books and online. There was another part of me in disbelief trying to analyse what I was feeling through the earth.
You can actually feel the earth heave and move under your feet; feet that you have spread a shoulder width apart braced with bend in your knees. It feels powerful, it is powerful and as the earthquake continues there is a sense of something like vertigo where your perception is impacted and looking around the ground looks like it is shimmering in your eyesight. It kept on rolling and the ground kept on heaving; mindful of where the trees were and for dropping coconuts we stood together riding out the quake.
In Bougainville, and throughout Papua New Guinea, there is quite a bit of activity happening. Before Christmas an earthquake of 7.9 hit 500 kms from Buka and the effects in Buka could be seen with crockery and pantry items coming off shelves. An earthquake is a violent shaking of the ground as a result of movement within the earth’s volcanic core or within the earth’s crust. It can result in devastating damage to infrastructure and property.
While an earthquake can happen anywhere in the world, there are some areas where earthquakes are more common as in these areas is where the boundaries are for tectonic plates and Bougainville is one such area. While earthquakes are frequent through the islands of Papua New Guinea, they rarely cause any damage.
For those wondering what those numbers mean and how an earthquake is measured, here is the low down. Seismic waves are recorded and in relation to the location of the earthquake on a seismograph. The figures are that converted to magnitude which gives a measurement of the amount of energy released by the earthquake. As you move up one unit at a time the amount of energy released increases by 30-fold. The vibrations of an earthquake can travel up to 14 kilometres per second which is really fast.
The earthquake today has been reported as being between 7.9 to 8.4 and it was a more violent one than the one before Christmas with its epicentre being in Bougainville reportedly causing landslides near Panguna Mine. A tsunami warning was issued almost immediately putting Buka Town on alert. Buka town in very low-lying and it is where the hospital is located too. Living up the hill in Hahela means no need for evacuation but to be mindful of friends that live in town who might need a place to stay and mindful of any evacuation that might happen.
Within 10 minutes a message has come through from the PNG office acknowledging the earthquake and asking for ‘respond with your location’ request followed 4 minutes later with confirmation that 8.0 (estimated) earthquake has occurred down near Arawa. The official warning of tsunami is issued, advising to move to higher ground and stay put until advised otherwise. Several more messages are received updating on a regular basis, and then an hour or so later the tsunami warning is lifted.
Coming back to my house a couple of hours later to check the damage and settle in for the night, I am taken with how chilled the locals are as I pass them on my way past the markets and to my house. It strikes you that while this was a big earthquake, they have lived with this all of their lives. The houses are built with 150mm king posts, the infrastructure purpose-built coupled with an attitude of ‘let it roll and then move on’.
The damage will not be known today, and while the bush drums flow information throughout Bougainville, it takes time for people to check in with each other. The aftershocks will come and tomorrow is another day, while tonight I send messages to friends and we check in with other to make sure everyone is okay. I’m okay, I’m on higher ground with friends close by and communication at hand. This has not been ‘just another day in Bougainville’ for us, it will be something we will be talking about for a while to come as the dust settles and life moves on.
Lanies Detour to Bougainville 