Papua New Guinea's (PNG) island province of East New Britain was rocked by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake, Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported on Wednesday.

The quake struck early Wednesday morning at a reported depth of 47km in PNG's north, the U.S. geological survey service said.

"It was a little earthquake and there's no damage we can see. We're used to this sort of stuff because the (nearby active) volcano is always rumbling," a resident was quoted by AAP as said.

The Mt Tavurvur volcano, situated on what is known as the Pacific rim of fire had last erupted in 1994 and has destroyed two- thirds of a township in PNG, Rabaul.

The volcano has belched a continuous plume of ash, which has made it a popular tourist attraction.

Papua New Guinea is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. New Britain is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of PNG.

PNG is one of the most diverse countries on Earth, with over 850 indigenous languages and at least as many traditional societies, out of a population of just under 6 million.

(Xinhua News Agency? March 25, 2009)