Strong M6.4 Earthquake struck on Monday Morning near Arawa in Papua New Guinea.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 1st, 2024. Last updated September 15th, 2024.

A strong M6.4 earthquake struck under land 66 kilometer from Arawa in Papua New Guinea in the morning of Monday September 2nd, 2024. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Papua New Guinea, 66 kilometer (41 mi) south of Arawa in Bougainville. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 39 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Sep 2, 2024 07:13 (Bougainville Time) - Sep 1, 2024 20:13 Universal Time.
Location:	66 km south of Arawa, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 6°49'21"S 155°31'56"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.4 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.031 .
Depth:	39 km (24 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

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.

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

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 (2 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 6.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 39 km (24 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

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 370 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 370 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 72,340 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 230 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Papua New Guinea , around 270 thousand people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). Roughly 100 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Solomon Islands .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
3,710	III	Weak	Probably none
225,800	IV	Light	Likely none
68,850	V	Moderate	Very light
72,340	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 . Located 66 kilometer (41 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Arawa (Bougainville, Papua New Guinea) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Arawa is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
66 km (41 mi) N from epicenter	Arawa Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.	V Moderate

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 VI.

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 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have 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:

Panguna, North Solomons, Papua New Guinea: 2 people.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 18 km (11 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 days later. It measured a magnitude of 4.7

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
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.4	Sep 2, 2024 07:13 (Bougainville Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.7	3 days later Sep 5, 2024 01:32 (Bougainville Time)	18 km (11 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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is the strongest earthquake in 8 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 22nd, 2017, when a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit 75 km (47 mi) further north-northwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 4 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.4 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 3 years.

Sources

Last updated 15/09/24 20:58 (). 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.