Freeport's Grasberg mine safe from New Guinea quake

NEW YORK, June 23 (Reuters) - Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc's (FCX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) giant Grasberg copper mine was unaffected by the 6.7 magnitude quake that struck off the Papua New Guinea's island of New Ireland, a company spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday.

While the strong quake's epicentre was 60 miles (95 km) south southeast of Taron, New Ireland, the Grasberg mine complex is about 1,000 miles away on the west side of the island at an elevation of about 14,000 feet, said Freeport spokesman, William Collier.

"That (quake) is way, way away from us. It'll have no impact at Grasberg at all. We are way off to the West part of the island and this is out in the ocean beyond the East part," said Collier, adding that the distance was about 1,000 miles.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported earlier on Tuesday that there were no immediate warnings of a tsunami from the quake and that its epicentre was off shore at a depth of 21.7 miles (35 km). (Reporting by Carole Vaporean in New York and Jerry Norton in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy)