Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea33y ago
M5.5 earthquake 47 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
Tuesday, April 27, 1993, 06:08:56 UTC · 6.138°S, 147.761°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 47 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, April 27, 1993, 06:08:56 UTC, at a depth of 38.2 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on March 2, 1993.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 38 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
104 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the South Bismarck and Woodlark plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
38 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on April 27, 1993. 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 741 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.01906 Papua New Guinea EarthquakeSeptember 14, 1906 · 62 km W of this epicenter
- 7.638 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaOctober 2, 1906 · 28 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.548 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaMay 12, 1938 · 24 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.549 km WSW of Wau, Papua New GuineaFebruary 26, 1963 · 222 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.532 km SSW of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaDecember 28, 1945 · 255 km E of this epicenter
- 7.492 km WSW of Kandrian, Papua New GuineaMay 6, 1947 · 117 km E of this epicenter
- 7.454 km W of Kandrian, Papua New GuineaOctober 16, 1987 · 144 km E of this epicenter
- 7.454 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaFebruary 8, 1987 · 10 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 155 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1988M4.3
Kaiapit (Landslide Generated)
6 Sep 1988 · 169 km away
74 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1993M6.9
Eastern: Upper Markham Valley
13 Oct 1993 · 195 km away
60 deaths$5 million damage
- 1970M7.3
Madang
31 Oct 1970 · 288 km away · intensity VIII
18 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1987M7.6
Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island
8 Feb 1987 · 10 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$3 million damagetsunami
- 1906M8.0
New Britain
14 Sep 1906 · 167 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1857M8.0
Bismarck Sea
17 Apr 1857 · 110 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.