QuakeScout
Magnitude6.6

Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea92y ago

M6.6 earthquake 50 km NNW of Ambunti, Papua New Guinea

Monday, September 23, 1935, 09:18:22 UTC · 3.837°S, 142.572°E

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 50 km NNW of Ambunti, Papua New Guinea on Monday, September 23, 1935, 09:18:22 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on September 20, 1935.

Magnitude
6.6
Strong · 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

133 kilotons of TNT

That is about 9 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 279 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

98 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Bismarck and Woodlark 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 29 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.8New Guinea, Papua New GuineaSeptember 20, 1935 · 132 km W of this epicenter
  2. 7.650 km N of Wewak, Papua New GuineaJuly 3, 1918 · 138 km NE of this epicenter
  3. 7.593 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaJuly 29, 1917 · 95 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.349 km NNE of Angoram, Papua New GuineaMay 7, 1907 · 186 km E of this epicenter
  5. 7.1132 km NNE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaAugust 26, 1906 · 234 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.143 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaAugust 7, 1931 · 80 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 7.165 km ENE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaApril 27, 1909 · 187 km E of this epicenter
  8. 7.061 km W of Angoram, Papua New GuineaJune 9, 1925 · 109 km E of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1900M6.9

    Nw. Irian Jaya

    7 Oct 1900 · 286 km away

    5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  2. 1907M7.4

    Bismarck Sea

    15 Dec 1907 · 82 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1919

    Irian Jaya Region

    21 Nov 1919 · 248 km away · intensity VIII

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  4. 1935M7.8

    N-Central

    20 Sep 1935 · 128 km away

    tsunami

  5. 1916M7.5

    N Coast

    3 Aug 1916 · 215 km away

  6. 1917M7.5

    Papua New Guinea

    29 Jul 1917 · 95 km away

    tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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