Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea27y ago
M4.6 earthquake 92 km NNE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
Friday, May 14, 1999, 21:16:09 UTC · 5.793°S, 148.193°E
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 92 km NNE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea on Friday, May 14, 1999, 21:16:09 UTC, at a depth of 134.5 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.9 on May 14, 1999.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 135 km
- Intermediate
- 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
163 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: intermediate
135 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 50 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.1 on May 18, 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 · 119 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.638 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaOctober 2, 1906 · 89 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.548 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaMay 12, 1938 · 85 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.549 km WSW of Wau, Papua New GuineaFebruary 26, 1963 · 283 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.532 km SSW of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaDecember 28, 1945 · 205 km E of this epicenter
- 7.492 km WSW of Kandrian, Papua New GuineaMay 6, 1947 · 99 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4177 km SW of Kavieng, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1905 · 288 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.463 km W of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaApril 5, 1999 · 154 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 137 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1988M4.3
Kaiapit (Landslide Generated)
6 Sep 1988 · 219 km away
74 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1993M6.9
Eastern: Upper Markham Valley
13 Oct 1993 · 241 km away
60 deaths$5 million damage
- 1987M7.6
Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island
8 Feb 1987 · 65 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$3 million damagetsunami
- 1906M8.0
New Britain
14 Sep 1906 · 161 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1857M8.0
Bismarck Sea
17 Apr 1857 · 136 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1873M8.0
Maclay Coast
1873 · 245 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.