Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea80y ago
M7.4 earthquake 92 km WSW of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea
Tuesday, May 6, 1947, 20:30:40 UTC · 6.487°S, 148.758°E
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 92 km WSW of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, May 6, 1947, 20:30:40 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on December 28, 1945.
- Magnitude
- 7.4
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2.1 megatons of TNT
That is about 140 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4,416 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
81 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the South Bismarck and Solomon Sea plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
35 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 65 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.01906 Papua New Guinea EarthquakeSeptember 14, 1906 · 172 km W of this epicenter
- 7.638 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaOctober 2, 1906 · 130 km W of this epicenter
- 7.548 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaMay 12, 1938 · 136 km W of this epicenter
- 7.532 km SSW of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaDecember 28, 1945 · 160 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1New Britain region, Papua New GuineaDecember 8, 1945 · 164 km E of this epicenter
- 7.061 km ENE of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaFebruary 28, 1934 · 245 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1906M8.0
New Britain
14 Sep 1906 · 63 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1857M8.0
Bismarck Sea
17 Apr 1857 · 223 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1895M7.3
W. Solomon Sea
6 Mar 1895 · 259 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1899
Bismrack Sea
19 Oct 1899 · 185 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M7.7
New Britain
2 Feb 1920 · 137 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1938M7.5
Papua New Guinea
12 May 1938 · 119 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.