Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea29y ago
M5.9 earthquake 74 km NE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea
Friday, January 16, 1998, 10:23:35 UTC · 5.870°S, 146.392°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 74 km NE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea on Friday, January 16, 1998, 10:23:35 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on December 22, 1997.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
47 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
33 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.5 on January 19, 1998. 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 851 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 · 101 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.638 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaOctober 2, 1906 · 142 km E of this epicenter
- 7.548 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaMay 12, 1938 · 135 km E of this epicenter
- 7.549 km WSW of Wau, Papua New GuineaFebruary 26, 1963 · 184 km S of this epicenter
- 7.492 km WSW of Kandrian, Papua New GuineaMay 6, 1947 · 270 km E of this epicenter
- 7.454 km W of Kandrian, Papua New GuineaOctober 16, 1987 · 298 km E of this epicenter
- 7.454 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaFebruary 8, 1987 · 145 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2117 km N of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaDecember 22, 1997 · 168 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 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 · 28 km away
74 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1993M6.9
Eastern: Upper Markham Valley
13 Oct 1993 · 41 km away
60 deaths$5 million damage
- 1970M7.3
Madang
31 Oct 1970 · 148 km away · intensity VIII
18 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1987M7.6
Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island
8 Feb 1987 · 145 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$3 million damagetsunami
- 1857M8.0
Bismarck Sea
17 Apr 1857 · 79 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1873M8.0
Maclay Coast
1873 · 60 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.