Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea81y ago
M6.9 earthquake 48 km S of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
Thursday, December 27, 1945, 04:41:10 UTC · 5.989°S, 150.192°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 48 km S of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea on Thursday, December 27, 1945, 04:41:10 UTC, at a depth of 55.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on December 8, 1945.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 55 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
362 kilotons of TNT
That is about 24 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 759 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
91 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
55 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 100 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.5 on December 28, 1945. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 80 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.874 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaFebruary 2, 1920 · 232 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.638 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaOctober 2, 1906 · 290 km W of this epicenter
- 7.548 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaMay 12, 1938 · 292 km W of this epicenter
- 7.4177 km SW of Kavieng, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1905 · 276 km N of this epicenter
- 7.497 km SW of Rabaul, Papua New GuineaMay 30, 1913 · 198 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2New Britain region, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1941 · 274 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 20 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 512 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1937
Keravia, Rabaul, Kokopo
28 May 1937 · 293 km away · intensity VIII
507 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1941M7.4
Bismarck Sea
13 Jan 1941 · 290 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1878
Bismarck Sea
4 Feb 1878 · 299 km away
1 deathtsunami
- 1906M8.0
New Britain
14 Sep 1906 · 173 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1895M7.3
W. Solomon Sea
6 Mar 1895 · 268 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1899
Bismrack Sea
19 Oct 1899 · 266 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.