Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea86y ago
M7.2 earthquake in New Britain region, Papua New Guinea
Monday, January 13, 1941, 16:27:44 UTC · 4.251°S, 151.940°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in New Britain region, Papua New Guinea on Monday, January 13, 1941, 16:27:44 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on February 2, 1920.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
919 kilotons of TNT
That is about 61 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,928 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
60 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Bismarck and South Bismarck plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.5 on February 9, 1941. 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 73 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.21919 Papua New Guinea EarthquakeMay 6, 1919 · 221 km E of this epicenter
- 8.060 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaJanuary 1, 1916 · 95 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.874 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaFebruary 2, 1920 · 80 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4177 km SW of Kavieng, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1905 · 275 km W of this epicenter
- 7.497 km SW of Rabaul, Papua New GuineaMay 30, 1913 · 76 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.061 km ENE of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaFebruary 28, 1934 · 188 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.0241 km NNE of Rabaul, Papua New GuineaMay 20, 1918 · 259 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.069 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaNovember 4, 1923 · 107 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 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 · 29 km away · intensity VIII
507 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1941M7.4
Bismarck Sea
13 Jan 1941 · 17 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1878
Bismarck Sea
4 Feb 1878 · 34 km away
1 deathtsunami
- 1899
New Ireland: East Coast
15 Jan 1899 · 139 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1919M8.2
Solomon Islands
6 May 1919 · 221 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1916M7.9
Solomon Islands
1 Jan 1916 · 87 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.