In the evening of Sunday May 5th, 2024, a MAG-4.8 foreshock hit in the Bismarck Sea 111 kilometer from Lae, Papua New Guinea.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Bismarck Sea, right off the coast of Papua New Guinea (10 mi offshore), 111 kilometer north-northeast of Lae in Morobe. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 131 km.
| Date and Time: | May 5, 2024 18:57 (Port Moresby Time) - May 5, 2024 08:57 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 111 km NNE of Lae, Morobe, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 5°47'49"S 147°22'9"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.8 Detected by 142 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.047 . |
| Depth: | 131 km (81 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Papua New Guinea . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Lae in Morobe, Papua New Guinea. Lae is located 111 kilometer (69 mi) north-northeast of the epicenter.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 111 km (69 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Lae Morobe, Papua New Guinea. |
| 176 km (109 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Bulolo Morobe, Papua New Guinea. |
| 186 km (116 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Madang Madang, Papua New Guinea. |
| 222 km (138 mi) W from epicenter |
Goroka Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Papua New Guinea.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Goroka, Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.4 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 4.8 |
7 hrs earlier May 5, 2024 18:57 (Port Moresby Time) | 70 km (43 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.3 |
7 hrs earlier May 5, 2024 18:58 (Port Moresby Time) | 79 km (49 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.4 |
May 6, 2024 01:40 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
1 day later May 7, 2024 11:11 (Port Moresby Time) | 76 km (47 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 23rd, 2024, when a 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 28 km (17 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on September 10th, 2022.
In total, 382 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.8 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 10 days.
Tsunami very unlikely
For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 131 km (81 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 19/05/24 00:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000mwg2
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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