Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea93y ago
M7.0 earthquake 61 km ENE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
Wednesday, February 28, 1934, 14:21:49 UTC · 5.346°S, 150.649°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 61 km ENE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, February 28, 1934, 14:21:49 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
- 7.0
- 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
529 kilotons of TNT
That is about 35 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,109 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
132 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the South Bismarck and Solomon Sea plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 M6.3 on March 20, 1934. 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 45 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 · 229 km E of this epicenter
- 7.874 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaFebruary 2, 1920 · 157 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4177 km SW of Kavieng, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1905 · 230 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.497 km SW of Rabaul, Papua New GuineaMay 30, 1913 · 114 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0152 km NW of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaMarch 4, 1905 · 188 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.069 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaNovember 4, 1923 · 259 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1878
Bismarck Sea
4 Feb 1878 · 215 km away
1 deathtsunami
- 1906M8.0
New Britain
14 Sep 1906 · 259 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1899
Bismrack Sea
19 Oct 1899 · 296 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1916M7.9
Solomon Islands
1 Jan 1916 · 221 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1920M7.7
New Britain
2 Feb 1920 · 147 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1906M7.2
Bismarck Sea
2 Oct 1906 · 236 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.