Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea102y ago
M7.0 earthquake 61 km W of Angoram, Papua New Guinea
Tuesday, June 9, 1925, 13:40:22 UTC · 4.121°S, 143.515°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 61 km W of Angoram, Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, June 9, 1925, 13:40:22 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on July 3, 1918.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 25 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
548 kilotons of TNT
That is about 36 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,148 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
71 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the South Bismarck and Woodlark plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
25 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 June 12, 1925. 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 13 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.650 km N of Wewak, Papua New GuineaJuly 3, 1918 · 114 km N of this epicenter
- 7.593 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaJuly 29, 1917 · 203 km W of this epicenter
- 7.349 km NNE of Angoram, Papua New GuineaMay 7, 1907 · 96 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1132 km NNE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaAugust 26, 1906 · 196 km N of this epicenter
- 7.165 km ENE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaApril 27, 1909 · 115 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.042 km ESE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaMay 13, 1920 · 75 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.073 km ENE of Vanimo, Papua New GuineaDecember 15, 1907 · 262 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.887 km NNE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaJune 4, 1913 · 151 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1907M7.4
Bismarck Sea
15 Dec 1907 · 160 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1916M7.5
N Coast
3 Aug 1916 · 110 km away
- 1917M7.5
Papua New Guinea
29 Jul 1917 · 203 km away
tsunami
- 1918M7.5
N Coast
3 Jul 1918 · 132 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.