Significant M5.4 Earthquake hit near Lae in Papua New Guinea on Monday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 5th, 2024. Last updated May 19th, 2024.

Under land 96 kilometer from Lae in Papua New Guinea, a significant MAG-5.4 earthquake occurred in the night of Monday May 6th, 2024. Roughly 2 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Papua New Guinea, 96 kilometer (60 mi) north-northwest of Lae in Morobe. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 119 km.

Date and Time:	May 6, 2024 01:40 (Port Moresby Time) - May 5, 2024 15:40 Universal Time.
Location:	96 km NNW of Lae, Morobe, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 5°53'35"S 146°44'53"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 323 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.032 .
Depth:	119 km (74 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 2 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 2 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 799,300 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.2 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Papua New Guinea .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
1,208,000	III	Weak	Probably none
799,300	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

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 96 kilometer (60 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter. Lae experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
96 km (60 mi) SSE from epicenter	Lae Morobe, Papua New Guinea.	IV Light
130 km (81 mi) NW from epicenter	Madang Madang, Papua New Guinea.	IV Light
146 km (91 mi) S from epicenter	Bulolo Morobe, Papua New Guinea.	IV Light
152 km (94 mi) W from epicenter	Goroka Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea.	III Weak
278 km (173 mi) W from epicenter	Mount Hagen Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

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:

Lae, Morobe, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 76 km (47 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 day later. It measured a magnitude of 4.5

This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 7 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	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 This Earthquake	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?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 January 27th, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 59 km (37 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on September 10th, 2022.

In total, 80 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 2 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. 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 on land near a coastal area (6 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 119 km (74 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 19/05/24 17:28 (). 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.