Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea109y ago
M6.7 earthquake 60 km NNE of Wewak, Papua New Guinea
Monday, July 29, 1918, 16:50:20 UTC · 3.020°S, 143.785°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 60 km NNE of Wewak, Papua New Guinea on Monday, July 29, 1918, 16:50:20 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on July 3, 1918.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
194 kilotons of TNT
That is about 13 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 407 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
34 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
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 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 8 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 · 25 km W of this epicenter
- 7.593 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaJuly 29, 1917 · 241 km W of this epicenter
- 7.349 km NNE of Angoram, Papua New GuineaMay 7, 1907 · 86 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1132 km NNE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaAugust 26, 1906 · 74 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.165 km ENE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaApril 27, 1909 · 54 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.073 km ENE of Vanimo, Papua New GuineaDecember 15, 1907 · 221 km W of this epicenter
- 6.887 km NNE of Wewak, Papua New GuineaJune 4, 1913 · 32 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.680 km WNW of Porgera, Papua New GuineaJuly 29, 1910 · 294 km SW 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 · 143 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1916M7.5
N Coast
3 Aug 1916 · 135 km away
- 1917M7.5
Papua New Guinea
29 Jul 1917 · 241 km away
tsunami
- 1918M7.5
N Coast
3 Jul 1918 · 152 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.