Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea27y ago
M6.0 earthquake 94 km NE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
Sunday, April 11, 1999, 16:50:39 UTC · 6.000°S, 148.495°E
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 94 km NE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea on Sunday, April 11, 1999, 16:50:39 UTC, at a depth of 58.3 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on April 6, 1999.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Strong · mwc
- Depth
- 58 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: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
15 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 32 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
142 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
58 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 lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on April 28, 1999. 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 953 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 · 144 km W of this epicenter
- 7.638 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaOctober 2, 1906 · 106 km W of this epicenter
- 7.548 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaMay 12, 1938 · 106 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5104 km ENE of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaDecember 30, 1990 · 291 km E of this epicenter
- 7.549 km WSW of Wau, Papua New GuineaFebruary 26, 1963 · 295 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.532 km SSW of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaDecember 28, 1945 · 172 km E of this epicenter
- 7.492 km WSW of Kandrian, Papua New GuineaMay 6, 1947 · 61 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4177 km SW of Kavieng, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1905 · 293 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 26 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 138 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1988M4.3
Kaiapit (Landslide Generated)
6 Sep 1988 · 251 km away
74 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1993M6.9
Eastern: Upper Markham Valley
13 Oct 1993 · 274 km away
60 deaths$5 million damage
- 1987M7.6
Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island
8 Feb 1987 · 90 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$3 million damagetsunami
- 1985M7.1
New Britain: Bialla, Piona
10 May 1985 · 286 km away · intensity VIII
1 death$1 million damage
- 1906M8.0
New Britain
14 Sep 1906 · 124 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1857M8.0
Bismarck Sea
17 Apr 1857 · 174 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.