A tsunami warning issued after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Papua New Guinea on Sunday afternoon has now passed.

The earthquake rocked the island of Bougainville at 3.30pm Sydney time.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued an alert saying "widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible" for some coastal areas of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

The warning was withdrawn after the tsunami threat passed on Sunday evening.

The quake struck at a depth of 136 kilometres, about 47 kilometres west of Arawa on Bougainville island, Papua New Guinea, the United States Geological Survey reported on Sunday.