Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea27y ago
M5.2 earthquake 71 km SSE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
Friday, April 23, 1999, 09:58:09 UTC · 6.091°S, 150.485°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 71 km SSE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea on Friday, April 23, 1999, 09:58:09 UTC, at a depth of 53.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on April 11, 1999.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 53 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
68 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the South Bismarck and Solomon Sea plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
53 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 M4.2 on May 21, 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 1,093 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.060 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaJanuary 1, 1916 · 280 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.874 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaFebruary 2, 1920 · 211 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5199 km SSE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaAugust 17, 1972 · 268 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5104 km ENE of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaDecember 30, 1990 · 123 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.532 km SSW of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaDecember 28, 1945 · 57 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.492 km WSW of Kandrian, Papua New GuineaMay 6, 1947 · 196 km W of this epicenter
- 7.4177 km SW of Kavieng, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1905 · 297 km N of this epicenter
- 7.463 km W of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaApril 5, 1999 · 116 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 523 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1937
Keravia, Rabaul, Kokopo
28 May 1937 · 278 km away · intensity VIII
507 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1983M6.4
Ulawun, Rabaul
22 Dec 1983 · 172 km away · intensity V
10 deaths$25 million damage
- 1941M7.4
Bismarck Sea
13 Jan 1941 · 276 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1985M7.1
New Britain: Bialla, Piona
10 May 1985 · 83 km away · intensity VIII
1 death$1 million damage
- 1878
Bismarck Sea
4 Feb 1878 · 283 km away
1 deathtsunami
- 1906M8.0
New Britain
14 Sep 1906 · 193 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.