In the Solomon Sea 38 kilometer from Kokopo, Papua New Guinea, a significant MAG-5.3 foreshock occurred in the night of Wednesday November 13th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, right off the coast of Papua New Guinea (7 mi offshore), 38 kilometer south-east of Kokopo in East New Britain. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 88 km.
| Date and Time: | Nov 13, 2024 00:31 (Port Moresby Time) - Nov 12, 2024 14:31 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 38 km SE of Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 4°36'2"S 152°29'55"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 10 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 . |
| Depth: | 88 km (54 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Papua New Guinea . Located 38 kilometer (24 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Kokopo (East New Britain, Papua New Guinea) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 38 km (24 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
| 282 km (175 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kimbe West New Britain, 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:
- Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-6.6 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
3 days earlier Nov 13, 2024 00:31 (Port Moresby Time) | 92 km (57 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 6.6 |
Nov 15, 2024 15:28 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
12 hrs later Nov 16, 2024 03:57 (Port Moresby Time) | 21 km (13 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
13 hrs later Nov 16, 2024 04:03 (Port Moresby Time) | 23 km (14 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
2 days later Nov 17, 2024 19:24 (Port Moresby Time) | 50 km (31 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.2 |
3 days later Nov 18, 2024 04:55 (Port Moresby Time) | 9 km (6 mi) SSW 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.
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 November 6th, 2024, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 91 km (57 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on December 17th, 2016.
In total, 203 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 18 days.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 88 km (54 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 18/11/24 14:48 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nrci
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241112_0000184
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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