Papua New Guinea – 104 EQ’s ranging in magnitude from 4.5 to 7.5 in the last 30 days 4/21/2014

Earth Watch Report  –  Earthquakes

 

104 earthquakes in map area

1. 5.4 97km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-21 16:59:05 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

2. 4.8 75km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-21 14:58:18 UTC-05:00 10.0 km

3. 4.8 49km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-21 14:46:51 UTC-05:00 52.9 km

4. 5.3 108km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-21 09:57:56 UTC-05:00 46.7 km

5. 5.1 118km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-21 06:25:27 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

6. 5.2 123km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-21 04:04:24 UTC-05:00 46.8 km

7. 4.5 103km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-21 01:32:42 UTC-05:00 56.8 km

8. 4.7 55km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-20 22:37:58 UTC-05:00 36.0 km

9. 4.5 92km S of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-20 18:00:21 UTC-05:00 35.2 km

10. 4.6 119km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-20 10:58:08 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

11. 5.1 108km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-20 08:28:42 UTC-05:00 57.1 km

12. 4.6 91km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-20 07:14:37 UTC-05:00 33.6 km

13. 4.9 63km WNW of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-20 03:56:40 UTC-05:00 62.4 km

14. 5.0 88km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-20 03:24:29 UTC-05:00 34.9 km

15. 4.6 106km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-20 03:10:20 UTC-05:00 79.7 km

16. 5.1 126km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 23:23:13 UTC-05:00 35.1 km

17. 5.7 117km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 23:17:34 UTC-05:00 28.2 km

18. 4.6 113km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 21:26:48 UTC-05:00 25.1 km

19. 4.8 66km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 20:02:14 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

20. 6.1 96km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 19:15:58 UTC-05:00 18.1 km

21. 5.2 81km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 19:10:44 UTC-05:00 17.3 km

22. 5.1 88km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 18:06:16 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

23. 4.7 95km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 17:33:26 UTC-05:00 35.8 km

24. 4.8 92km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 16:31:38 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

25. 4.8 100km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 15:00:13 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

26. 4.9 127km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 14:16:18 UTC-05:00 9.4 km

27. 5.1 134km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 13:11:25 UTC-05:00 73.3 km

28. 5.3 109km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 12:55:19 UTC-05:00 26.5 km

29. 5.3 105km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 12:45:11 UTC-05:00 39.8 km

30. 5.1 65km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 12:19:50 UTC-05:00 87.5 km

31. 5.2 125km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 11:56:14 UTC-05:00 47.4 km

32. 5.2 129km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 11:49:44 UTC-05:00 80.3 km

33. 4.9 126km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 11:41:47 UTC-05:00 77.6 km

34. 4.8 149km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 10:52:57 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

35. 4.8 119km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 09:56:39 UTC-05:00 106.6 km

36. 4.7 150km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 09:32:15 UTC-05:00 106.4 km

37. 4.8 112km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 09:24:38 UTC-05:00 47.8 km

38. 5.6 120km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 08:47:51 UTC-05:00 72.2 km

39. 7.5 75km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 08:27:59 UTC-05:00 30.9 km

40. 5.2 64km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-19 08:21:20 UTC-05:00 62.4 km

41. 6.6 59km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-18 20:04:03 UTC-05:00 24.4 km

42. 4.8 43km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-18 12:53:39 UTC-05:00 38.5 km

43. 4.5 108km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-17 16:09:08 UTC-05:00 104.6 km

44. 4.5 31km E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-17 13:06:44 UTC-05:00 142.0 km

45. 4.8 97km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-16 17:43:27 UTC-05:00 80.1 km

46. 5.4 76km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-16 15:00:06 UTC-05:00 38.9 km

47. 4.8 76km S of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-16 11:07:52 UTC-05:00 54.8 km

48. 5.3 155km SSE of Taron, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-15 14:16:16 UTC-05:00 47.2 km

49. 4.5 127km NNE of Lae, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-15 06:22:34 UTC-05:00 191.8 km

50. 4.7 58km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-14 14:45:55 UTC-05:00 55.0 km

51. 4.6 103km WNW of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-13 21:42:01 UTC-05:00 119.0 km

52. 4.7 93km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-13 16:49:04 UTC-05:00 39.8 km

53. 5.3 78km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-13 08:19:19 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

54. 4.7 42km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-13 04:12:07 UTC-05:00 86.4 km

55. 4.6 73km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-13 01:13:20 UTC-05:00 68.1 km

56. 5.3 108km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 10:59:27 UTC-05:00 6.7 km

57. 5.0 113km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 10:46:28 UTC-05:00 22.6 km

58. 4.6 111km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 06:42:34 UTC-05:00 43.4 km

59. 4.9 114km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 05:55:46 UTC-05:00 47.2 km

60. 4.6 117km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 03:54:11 UTC-05:00 57.8 km

61. 4.7 77km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 01:22:21 UTC-05:00 89.9 km

62. 5.3 96km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 01:15:36 UTC-05:00 41.0 km

63. 5.1 78km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 00:29:37 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

64. 6.1 92km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 00:24:25 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

65. 4.5 150km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-12 00:03:31 UTC-05:00 58.9 km

66. 5.1 74km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 23:00:56 UTC-05:00 50.2 km

67. 4.7 86km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 17:02:34 UTC-05:00 71.8 km

68. 4.8 93km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 14:06:11 UTC-05:00 11.1 km

69. 4.9 88km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 13:56:14 UTC-05:00 12.8 km

70. 4.8 80km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 13:52:25 UTC-05:00 15.8 km

71. 4.7 23km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 13:20:58 UTC-05:00 91.6 km

72. 4.7 85km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 11:43:04 UTC-05:00 63.1 km

73. 4.9 89km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 11:35:32 UTC-05:00 81.8 km

74. 4.9 119km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 10:52:44 UTC-05:00 47.2 km

75. 5.6 78km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 09:33:43 UTC-05:00 21.3 km

76. 5.5 87km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 07:55:22 UTC-05:00 44.8 km

77. 4.6 55km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 07:34:04 UTC-05:00 50.6 km

78. 4.7 57km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 05:47:21 UTC-05:00 79.7 km

79. 5.1 72km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 05:30:31 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

80. 4.7 92km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 04:35:57 UTC-05:00 65.7 km

81. 4.8 63km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 03:39:04 UTC-05:00 44.3 km

82. 5.2 83km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 03:31:48 UTC-05:00 52.6 km

83. 5.1 75km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 03:23:46 UTC-05:00 45.9 km

84. 6.5 78km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 03:16:48 UTC-05:00 39.4 km

85. 7.1 57km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-11 02:07:21 UTC-05:00 50.0 km

86. 4.9 138km S of Vanimo, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-10 13:19:14 UTC-05:00 73.3 km

87. 5.1 259km ESE of Kulumadau, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-09 03:32:38 UTC-05:00 24.0 km

88. 4.8 210km S of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-08 17:22:41 UTC-05:00 17.4 km

89. 4.6 136km N of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-08 09:41:40 UTC-05:00 462.2 km

90. 4.5 106km S of Taron, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-08 06:18:07 UTC-05:00 41.5 km

91. 4.8 87km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-07 09:30:01 UTC-05:00 82.6 km

92. 5.2 84km SSW of Aitape, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-04 22:34:37 UTC-05:00 62.6 km

93. 4.7 109km SSW of Taron, Papua New Guinea 2014-04-02 10:00:03 UTC-05:00 50.4 km

94. 5.6 100km NW of Kokoda, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-31 08:40:59 UTC-05:00 10.0 km

95. 4.5 101km WNW of Kokoda, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-31 08:19:27 UTC-05:00 10.0 km

96. 4.8 70km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-28 23:26:52 UTC-05:00 113.5 km

97. 5.0 124km S of Taron, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-28 11:14:58 UTC-05:00 19.7 km

98. 4.9 118km WNW of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-28 02:07:46 UTC-05:00 10.0 km

99. 4.9 137km S of Taron, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-27 10:32:28 UTC-05:00 15.8 km

100. 4.8 121km SW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-27 06:52:37 UTC-05:00 133.1 km

101. 5.1 67km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-25 14:56:14 UTC-05:00 179.8 km

102. 4.6 41km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-25 03:51:48 UTC-05:00 77.5 km

103. 4.8 19km W of Aitape, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-24 06:19:00 UTC-05:00 35.0 km

104. 4.9 84km SSE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea 2014-03-23 10:59:59 UTC-05:00 58.3 km

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M 6.1 – 96km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

 

Event Time

1. 2014-04-20 00:15:58 UTC
2. 2014-04-20 10:15:58 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2014-04-19 19:15:58 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

7.167°S 155.312°E depth=18.1km (11.2mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 96km (60mi) SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
2. 108km (67mi) SSW of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
3. 459km (285mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
4. 569km (354mi) WNW of Honiara, Solomon Islands
5. 599km (372mi) ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

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Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Instrumental Intensity

 

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M 7.5 – 75km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

 

Event Time

1. 2014-04-19 13:27:59 UTC
2. 2014-04-19 23:27:59 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2014-04-19 08:27:59 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

6.720°S 154.931°E depth=30.9km (19.2mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 75km (47mi) SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
2. 87km (54mi) SW of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
3. 394km (245mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
4. 545km (339mi) ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
5. 629km (391mi) WNW of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• Earthquake Summary Poster
• View location in Google Maps

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Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Instrumental Intensity

 

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M 6.6 – 59km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

Event Time

1. 2014-04-19 01:04:03 UTC
2. 2014-04-19 11:04:03 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2014-04-18 20:04:03 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

6.679°S 155.085°E depth=24.4km (15.2mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 59km (37mi) SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
2. 71km (44mi) SW of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
3. 404km (251mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
4. 561km (349mi) ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
5. 616km (383mi) WNW of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

 

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Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Instrumental Intensity

 

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M 6.1 – 92km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

Event Time

1. 2014-04-12 05:24:25 UTC
2. 2014-04-12 15:24:25 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2014-04-12 00:24:25 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

7.116°S 155.236°E depth=35.0km (21.7mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 92km (57mi) SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
2. 105km (65mi) SSW of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
3. 449km (279mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
4. 579km (360mi) WNW of Honiara, Solomon Islands
5. 589km (366mi) ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

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Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Instrumental Intensity

 

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M 6.5 – 78km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

Event Time

1. 2014-04-11 08:16:48 UTC
2. 2014-04-11 18:16:48 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2014-04-11 03:16:48 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

6.855°S 155.017°E depth=39.4km (24.5mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 78km (48mi) SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
2. 91km (57mi) SW of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
3. 411km (255mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
4. 558km (347mi) ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
5. 613km (381mi) WNW of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

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Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Instrumental Intensity

 

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M 7.1 – 57km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

Event Time

1. 2014-04-11 07:07:21 UTC
2. 2014-04-11 18:07:21 UTC+11:00 at epicenter
3. 2014-04-11 02:07:21 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

6.625°S 155.064°E depth=50.0km (31.1mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 57km (35mi) SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
2. 69km (43mi) SW of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
3. 399km (248mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
4. 557km (346mi) ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
5. 621km (386mi) WNW of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• Earthquake Summary Poster
• View location in Google Maps

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Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Instrumental Intensity

 

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Tectonic Summary

The M 7.5 April 19, 2014 earthquake southwest of Panguna, Papua New Guinea, occurred as the result of thrust faulting on or near the subduction zone interface between the subducting Australia plate and overriding Pacific plate. At the location of the earthquake, the Australia plate moves towards the east-northeast at a velocity of 102 mm/yr with respect to the Pacific, and begins its subduction into the mantle beneath Bougainville Island at the New Britain Trench south of the earthquake. The moment tensor and depth of the event are consistent with thrust-type motion on the interface between these two plates. Note that at the location of the earthquake, some researchers divide the edge of the Australia plate into several microplates that take up the overall convergence between Australia and the Pacific. Here the Solomon Sea plate moves slightly faster and more northeasterly with respect to the Pacific plate than does Australia due to sea-floor spreading in the Woodlark Basin several hundred kilometers to the south of the April 19 earthquake.

This event is the latest in an ongoing sequence of seismicity in the same region over the past week, which began with M 7.1 and 6.5 earthquakes on April 11, just to the northeast and southeast of the April 19 earthquake, respectively. Over the intervening eight days, 45 earthquakes of M 4.5 or greater have occurred nearby, including a M 6.6 event about 12 hours before the April 19 earthquake.

In the Papua New Guinea region, the boundary between Australia and Pacific plates is very active seismically; 35 M 7+ events have occurred within 250 km of the April 19, 2014 earthquake over the past century. None are known to have caused any shaking-related fatalities. The largest was an M 8.0 175 km to the northwest of the April 19, 2014 earthquake, one of two M8+ earthquakes 140 km apart in July 1971. The M 8.1 Solomon Islands earthquake in April 2007, which caused a devastating tsunami, was 300 km southeast of the April 19, 2014 event.

 

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Related articles

• RSOE EDIS Event Report: Tuesday April 01, 2014 Earthquake Report Panguna, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
• No tsunami threat to PH after Papua New Guinea quake – Phivolcs
• M7.1 – 57km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
• 5 Earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 4.1 to 6.6 in Papua New Guinea April 13th and 14th , 2013
• 7.1 quake hits off Papua New Guinea – USGS
• 7.3-magnitude earthquake hits near Papua New Guinea
• Powerful magnitude 7.1 quake hits off Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea – 7.2 and 6.6 Magnitude Earthquakes July 7th , 2013

Earth Watch Report  –  Earthquakes

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M7.2 – 110km ENE of Taron, Papua New Guinea

 2013-07-07 18:35:30 UTC

 

Event Time

1. 2013-07-07 18:35:30 UTC
2. 2013-07-08 04:35:30 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2013-07-07 13:35:30 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

3.939°S 153.882°E depth=378.8km (235.4mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 110km (68mi) ENE of Taron, Papua New Guinea
2. 185km (115mi) ENE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
3. 311km (193mi) NW of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
4. 374km (232mi) ESE of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea
5. 904km (562mi) NW of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

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Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Instrumental Intensity

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M6.6 – 29km NE of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea

 2013-07-07 20:30:07 UTC

 

Event Time

1. 2013-07-07 20:30:07 UTC
2. 2013-07-08 06:30:07 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2013-07-07 15:30:07 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

6.016°S 149.721°E depth=62.0km (38.5mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 29km (18mi) NE of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea
2. 69km (43mi) SW of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
3. 312km (194mi) ENE of Lae, Papua New Guinea
4. 336km (209mi) WSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
5. 471km (293mi) NE of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

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Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Instrumental Intensity

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Tectonic Summary

Seismotectonics of the New Guinea Region and Vicinity

The Australia-Pacific plate boundary is over 4000 km long on the northern margin, from the Sunda (Java) trench in the west to the Solomon Islands in the east. The eastern section is over 2300 km long, extending west from northeast of the Australian continent and the Coral Sea until it intersects the east coast of Papua New Guinea. The boundary is dominated by the general northward subduction of the Australia plate.

Along the South Solomon trench, the Australia plate converges with the Pacific plate at a rate of approximately 95 mm/yr towards the east-northeast. Seismicity along the trench is dominantly related to subduction tectonics and large earthquakes are common: there have been 13 M7.5+ earthquakes recorded since 1900. On April 1, 2007, a M8.1 interplate megathrust earthquake occurred at the western end of the trench, generating a tsunami and killing at least 40 people. This was the third M8.1 megathrust event associated with this subduction zone in the past century; the other two occurred in 1939 and 1977.

Further east at the New Britain trench, the relative motions of several microplates surrounding the Australia-Pacific boundary, including north-south oriented seafloor spreading in the Woodlark Basin south of the Solomon Islands, maintain the general northward subduction of Australia-affiliated lithosphere beneath Pacific-affiliated lithosphere. Most of the large and great earthquakes east of New Guinea are related to this subduction; such earthquakes are particularly concentrated at the cusp of the trench south of New Ireland. 33 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded since 1900, including three shallow thrust fault M8.1 events in 1906, 1919, and 2007.

The western end of the Australia-Pacific plate boundary is perhaps the most complex portion of this boundary, extending 2000 km from Indonesia and the Banda Sea to eastern New Guinea. The boundary is dominantly convergent along an arc-continent collision segment spanning the width of New Guinea, but the regions near the edges of the impinging Australia continental margin also include relatively short segments of extensional, strike-slip and convergent deformation. The dominant convergence is accommodated by shortening and uplift across a 250-350 km-wide band of northern New Guinea, as well as by slow southward-verging subduction of the Pacific plate north of New Guinea at the New Guinea trench. Here, the Australia-Pacific plate relative velocity is approximately 110 mm/yr towards the northeast, leading to the 2-8 mm/yr uplift of the New Guinea Highlands.

Whereas the northern band of deformation is relatively diffuse east of the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border, in western New Guinea there are at least two small (<100,000 km²) blocks of relatively undeformed lithosphere. The westernmost of these is the Birds Head Peninsula microplate in Indonesia’s West Papua province, bounded on the south by the Seram trench. The Seram trench was originally interpreted as an extreme bend in the Sunda subduction zone, but is now thought to represent a southward-verging subduction zone between Birds Head and the Banda Sea.

There have been 22 M7.5+ earthquakes recorded in the New Guinea region since 1900. The dominant earthquake mechanisms are thrust and strike slip, associated with the arc-continent collision and the relative motions between numerous local microplates. The largest earthquake in the region was a M8.2 shallow thrust fault event in the northern Papua province of Indonesia that killed 166 people in 1996.

The western portion of the northern Australia plate boundary extends approximately 4800 km from New Guinea to Sumatra and primarily separates Australia from the Eurasia plate, including the Sunda block. This portion is dominantly convergent and includes subduction at the Sunda (Java) trench, and a young arc-continent collision.

In the east, this boundary extends from the Kai Islands to Sumba along the Timor trough, offset from the Sunda trench by 250 km south of Sumba. Contrary to earlier tectonic models in which this trough was interpreted as a subduction feature continuous with the Sunda subduction zone, it is now thought to represent a subsiding deformational feature related to the collision of the Australia plate continental margin and the volcanic arc of the Eurasia plate, initiating in the last 5-8 Myr. Before collision began, the Sunda subduction zone extended eastward to at least the Kai Islands, evidenced by the presence of a northward-dipping zone of seismicity beneath Timor Leste. A more detailed examination of the seismic zone along it’s eastern segment reveals a gap in intermediate depth seismicity under Timor and seismic mechanisms that indicate an eastward propagating tear in the descending slab as the negatively buoyant oceanic lithosphere detaches from positively buoyant continental lithosphere. On the surface, GPS measurements indicate that the region around Timor is currently no longer connected to the Eurasia plate, but instead is moving at nearly the same velocity as the Australia plate, another consequence of collision.

Large earthquakes in eastern Indonesia occur frequently but interplate megathrust events related to subduction are rare; this is likely due to the disconnection of the descending oceanic slab from the continental margin. There have been 9 M7.5+ earthquakes recorded from the Kai Islands to Sumba since 1900. The largest was the great Banda Sea earthquake of 1938 (M8.5) an intermediate depth thrust faulting event that did not cause significant loss of life.

More information on regional seismicity and tectonics

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• 7.2 earthquake strikes off Papua New Guinea
• 7.2 Earthquake Hits off Papua New Guinea
• Massive but harmless earthquake off coast of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
• Magnitude 7.2 quake strikes below sea east of Papua New Guinea
• 7.2 Earthquake Strikes off Papua New Guinea
• Two big quakes rattle Papua New Guinea
• Magnitude 7.2 quake strikes below sea east of Papua New Guinea
• Earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea – 4 Earthquakes Ranging From 5.4 and 4.8 Magnitude, May 15th-17th , 2013. Total of 10 Moderate EQ’s in the last 6 days

Earth Watch Report  –  Earthquakes

last 7 days

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M5.0 – 21km ESE of Taron, Papua New Guinea

2013-05-15 10:58:42 UTC

 

Event Time

1. 2013-05-15 10:58:42 UTC
2. 2013-05-15 20:58:42 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2013-05-15 05:58:42 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

4.546°S 153.212°E depth=67.8km (42.1mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 21km (13mi) ESE of Taron, Papua New Guinea
2. 107km (66mi) ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
3. 316km (196mi) NW of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
4. 345km (214mi) SE of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea
5. 858km (533mi) NE of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

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M5.2 – 105km SSE of Angoram, Papua New Guinea

 2013-05-15 23:16:49 UTC

 

Event Time

1. 2013-05-15 23:16:49 UTC
2. 2013-05-16 09:16:49 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2013-05-15 18:16:49 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

4.873°S 144.576°E depth=68.2km (42.4mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 105km (65mi) SSE of Angoram, Papua New Guinea
2. 115km (71mi) NNE of Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea
3. 140km (87mi) WNW of Madang, Papua New Guinea
4. 161km (100mi) NW of Goroka, Papua New Guinea
5. 581km (361mi) NNW of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

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M5.4 – 118km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

2013-05-17 08:32:39 UTC

 

Event Time

1. 2013-05-17 08:32:39 UTC
2. 2013-05-17 18:32:39 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2013-05-17 03:32:39 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

6.245°S 154.412°E depth=69.3km (43.0mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 118km (73mi) W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
2. 124km (77mi) W of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
3. 317km (197mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
4. 478km (297mi) E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
5. 705km (438mi) WNW of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

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M4.8 – 41km ENE of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea

 2013-05-17 21:23:29 UTC

 

Event Time

1. 2013-05-17 21:23:29 UTC
2. 2013-05-18 07:23:29 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
3. 2013-05-17 16:23:29 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

6.134°S 149.918°E depth=65.8km (40.9mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 41km (25mi) ENE of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea
2. 69km (43mi) SSW of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
3. 326km (203mi) SW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
4. 330km (205mi) E of Lae, Papua New Guinea
5. 474km (295mi) NE of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Related Links

• Additional earthquake information for Papua New Guinea
• View location in Google Maps

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Tectonic Summary

Seismotectonics of the New Guinea Region and Vicinity

The Australia-Pacific plate boundary is over 4000 km long on the northern margin, from the Sunda (Java) trench in the west to the Solomon Islands in the east. The eastern section is over 2300 km long, extending west from northeast of the Australian continent and the Coral Sea until it intersects the east coast of Papua New Guinea. The boundary is dominated by the general northward subduction of the Australia plate.

Along the South Solomon trench, the Australia plate converges with the Pacific plate at a rate of approximately 95 mm/yr towards the east-northeast. Seismicity along the trench is dominantly related to subduction tectonics and large earthquakes are common: there have been 13 M7.5+ earthquakes recorded since 1900. On April 1, 2007, a M8.1 interplate megathrust earthquake occurred at the western end of the trench, generating a tsunami and killing at least 40 people. This was the third M8.1 megathrust event associated with this subduction zone in the past century; the other two occurred in 1939 and 1977.

Further east at the New Britain trench, the relative motions of several microplates surrounding the Australia-Pacific boundary, including north-south oriented seafloor spreading in the Woodlark Basin south of the Solomon Islands, maintain the general northward subduction of Australia-affiliated lithosphere beneath Pacific-affiliated lithosphere. Most of the large and great earthquakes east of New Guinea are related to this subduction; such earthquakes are particularly concentrated at the cusp of the trench south of New Ireland. 33 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded since 1900, including three shallow thrust fault M8.1 events in 1906, 1919, and 2007.

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 Papua New Guinea – 2 Earthquakes Registered at 4.9 and 5.7 Magnitude,  May  14th , 2013.  Total of  6 Moderate EQ’s in the last 3 days

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Papua New Guinea  –  4 Earthquakes Registered at 5.0 – 4.6 Magnitude  May  9th – 12th , 2013

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Pacific Ring Of Fire 196 Earthquakes and counting in the last 3 days February 6th thru 8th

Earth Watch Report  –  Earthquakes

Pacific Ring Of Fire

Volcanoes Along The Pacific Ring Of Fire

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5.2	28km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 20:05:51	10.963°S	165.897°E	29.1
4.7	133km SE of Sarangani, Philippines	2013-02-08 19:31:47	4.438°N	126.187°E	146.1
5.1	29km ESE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 19:09:11	10.861°S	166.059°E	25.0
5.3	22km ESE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 18:10:47	10.758°S	166.031°E	26.1
2.9	124km N of Larsen Bay, Alaska	2013-02-08 18:07:56	58.656°N	154.019°W	97.1
5.6	70km ESE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 18:07:53	10.988°S	166.413°E	58.1
5.9	75km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea	2013-02-08 17:59:52	6.278°S	154.804°E	75.4
5.0	71km W of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea	2013-02-08 17:48:51	6.096°S	148.919°E	72.4
5.1	47km WSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 17:42:34	10.952°S	165.466°E	20.2
4.8	83km SSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 15:56:09	11.370°S	165.449°E	10.0
4.8	32km E of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 15:46:12	10.721°S	166.130°E	10.0
4.6	35km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 15:42:59	10.951°S	166.056°E	10.1
7.0	25km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 15:26:39	10.910°S	165.964°E	26.9
5.2	29km S of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 15:00:12	10.984°S	165.867°E	10.1
3.3	92km WSW of Healy, Alaska	2013-02-08 14:20:19	63.638°N	150.782°W	0.3
5.2	27km S of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 14:14:09	10.965°S	165.878°E	10.0
5.2	43km S of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 14:10:38	11.108°S	165.872°E	10.0
4.8	21km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 13:39:27	10.906°S	165.882°E	9.9
4.9	105km E of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 13:28:09	10.852°S	166.785°E	10.1
2.7	83km W of Avalon, California	2013-02-08 13:20:31	33.231°N	119.211°W	15.0
4.7	97km WNW of Kota Ternate, Indonesia	2013-02-08 12:34:00	1.186°N	126.589°E	10.1
5.1	28km S of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 12:09:19	10.967°S	165.882°E	9.9
5.0	24km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 12:03:39	10.900°S	165.962°E	10.0
5.0	24km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 11:56:11	10.918°S	165.929°E	10.1
5.1	26km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 11:39:41	10.948°S	165.895°E	10.1
4.9	89km SSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 11:25:41	11.427°S	165.437°E	10.0
6.8	21km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 11:12:13	10.904°S	165.895°E	18.0
2.5	22km W of Kalaoa, Hawaii	2013-02-08 10:31:34	19.759°N	156.194°W	39.1
4.6	134km WSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 09:28:08	11.174°S	164.696°E	10.0
4.8	129km S of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 09:18:43	11.885°S	165.797°E	10.1
5.3	121km W of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 09:09:01	10.914°S	164.739°E	10.0
4.7	20km SSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 08:24:02	10.895°S	165.775°E	10.2
4.9	57km SW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 08:14:59	11.020°S	165.404°E	10.0
5.3	38km SSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 08:03:35	11.030°S	165.672°E	10.0
4.9	112km WSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 07:35:04	10.927°S	164.827°E	10.0
4.8	134km W of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 07:04:11	10.946°S	164.622°E	10.1
4.5	Southern East Pacific Rise	2013-02-08 06:18:40	25.505°S	116.418°W	10.0
4.8	63km S of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 05:29:34	11.280°S	165.727°E	10.0
4.6	148km ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan	2013-02-08 05:15:50	38.057°N	142.936°E	16.4
2.5	13km S of Volcano, Hawaii	2013-02-08 05:07:57	19.313°N	155.215°W	8.4
4.7	35km SSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 05:03:48	11.020°S	165.721°E	27.6
2.9	11km SW of Niland, California	2013-02-08 04:51:45	33.180°N	115.625°W	0.0
2.7	9km SW of Niland, California	2013-02-08 04:51:45	33.185°N	115.601°W	1.3
4.8	114km WSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 04:48:19	10.983°S	164.817°E	15.0
5.3	43km SSW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 04:26:17	11.096°S	165.730°E	15.4
4.6	32km NW of Lata, Solomon Islands	2013-02-08 04:23:38	10.501°S	165.633°E	15.0

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6.0 Magnitude Earthquake – BISMARCK SEA

Earth Watch Report  –  Earthquakes

 

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6.0 Mwc – BISMARCK SEA

Preliminary Earthquake Report

Magnitude	6.0 Mwc
Date-Time	29 Dec 2012 07:59:41 UTC 29 Dec 2012 17:59:41 near epicenter 29 Dec 2012 01:59:41 standard time in your timezone
Location	3.492S 148.832E
Depth	10 km
Distances	240 km (149 miles) SE (133 degrees) of Lorengau, Manus Island, PNG 242 km (150 miles) WSW (245 degrees) of Kavieng, New Ireland, PNG 315 km (196 miles) NNW (346 degrees) of Kandrian, New Britain, PNG 415 km (258 miles) NNE (29 degrees) of Lae, New Guinea, PNG 688 km (428 miles) NNE (15 degrees) of PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea
Location Uncertainty	Horizontal: 20.7 km; Vertical 2.7 km
Parameters	Nph = 57; Dmin = 378.4 km; Rmss = 1.08 seconds; Gp = 73° M-type = Mwc; Version = 3
Event ID	us c000ehxl

For updates, maps, and technical information, see:
Event Page
or
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

National Earthquake Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/neic/

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