Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea92y ago
M6.2 earthquake 77 km NE of Aitape, Papua New Guinea
Wednesday, September 25, 1935, 10:19:47 UTC · 2.646°S, 142.851°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 77 km NE of Aitape, Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, September 25, 1935, 10:19:47 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on September 23, 1935.
- 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
28 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 59 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
37 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 34 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8New Guinea, Papua New GuineaSeptember 20, 1935 · 213 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.650 km N of Wewak, Papua New GuineaJuly 3, 1918 · 94 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.593 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaJuly 29, 1917 · 171 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.349 km NNE of Angoram, Papua New GuineaMay 7, 1907 · 190 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1132 km NNE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaAugust 26, 1906 · 149 km E of this epicenter
- 7.143 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaAugust 7, 1931 · 121 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.165 km ENE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaApril 27, 1909 · 164 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.061 km W of Angoram, Papua New GuineaJune 9, 1925 · 180 km SE 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 27 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1930M6.5
Bismarck Sea
23 Dec 1930 · 220 km away
27 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1907M7.4
Bismarck Sea
15 Dec 1907 · 64 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1919
Irian Jaya Region
21 Nov 1919 · 234 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1935M7.8
N-Central
20 Sep 1935 · 206 km away
tsunami
- 1916M7.5
N Coast
3 Aug 1916 · 237 km away
- 1917M7.5
Papua New Guinea
29 Jul 1917 · 171 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.