JAKARTA - A moderate, 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 9.32 pm (1132 GMT), was located 986 kilometres (612 miles) northwest of Port Moresby and 92 kilometres (57 miles) east of Jayapura, in Indonesia's Irian Jaya province, at a depth of 44 km, the USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii did not immediately issue any alert following the earthquake.

Papua New Guinea is home to many active volcanoes and sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where several tectonic plates collide. The region is frequently rocked by earthquakes.