Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea26y ago
M5.5 earthquake 59 km S of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea
Thursday, December 21, 2000, 14:53:11 UTC · 3.109°S, 150.743°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 59 km S of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea on Thursday, December 21, 2000, 14:53:11 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on December 21, 2000.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- 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 earthquakeColoured 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
13 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Bismarck and Manus 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 767 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.02000 New Ireland EarthquakeNovember 16, 2000 · 186 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.060 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaJanuary 1, 1916 · 278 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.874 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaFebruary 2, 1920 · 250 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.8138 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaNovember 17, 2000 · 289 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5104 km ENE of Kimbe, Papua New GuineaDecember 30, 1990 · 222 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4177 km SW of Kavieng, Papua New GuineaJanuary 13, 1905 · 143 km W of this epicenter
- 7.467 km E of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaApril 23, 1953 · 279 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.497 km SW of Rabaul, Papua New GuineaMay 30, 1913 · 205 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 25 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 526 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1937
Keravia, Rabaul, Kokopo
28 May 1937 · 207 km away · intensity VIII
507 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1983M6.4
Ulawun, Rabaul
22 Dec 1983 · 283 km away · intensity V
10 deaths$25 million damage
- 1941M7.4
Bismarck Sea
13 Jan 1941 · 189 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2000M8.0
New Ireland, Duke Of York
16 Nov 2000 · 202 km away
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1985M7.1
New Britain: Bialla, Piona
10 May 1985 · 279 km away · intensity VIII
1 death$1 million damage
- 1989M5.4
New Britain: Rabaul
10 Mar 1989 · 266 km away · intensity V
1 death
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.