Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea81y ago
M6.2 earthquake 98 km E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
Saturday, December 29, 1945, 09:50:46 UTC · 5.643°S, 151.025°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 98 km E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea on Saturday, December 29, 1945, 09:50:46 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
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
82 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on December 30, 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 102 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.060 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaJanuary 1, 1916 · 203 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.874 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaFebruary 2, 1920 · 133 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.532 km SSW of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaDecember 28, 1945 · 111 km W of this epicenter
- 7.4177 km SW of Kavieng, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1905 · 281 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.497 km SW of Rabaul, Papua New GuineaMay 30, 1913 · 109 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2New Britain region, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1941 · 185 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2205 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaDecember 23, 1943 · 292 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 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 · 201 km away · intensity VIII
507 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1941M7.4
Bismarck Sea
13 Jan 1941 · 200 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1878
Bismarck Sea
4 Feb 1878 · 206 km away
1 deathtsunami
- 1906M8.0
New Britain
14 Sep 1906 · 270 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1916M7.9
Solomon Islands
1 Jan 1916 · 196 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1920M7.7
New Britain
2 Feb 1920 · 148 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.