In the South Pacific Ocean 123 kilometer from Kokopo, Papua New Guinea, a strong MAG-6.6 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Friday November 15th, 2024. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 29 kilometers (18 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 123 kilometer east-southeast of Kokopo in East New Britain. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 52 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
Date and Time: | Nov 15, 2024 15:28 (Port Moresby Time) - Nov 15, 2024 05:28 Universal Time. |
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Location: | 123 km ESE of Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 4°42'8"S 153°19'12"E. |
Map: | Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
Magnitude: | MAG 6.6 Detected by 7 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 . |
Depth: | 52 km (32 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
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 under the sea. | This earthquake had a magnitude of 6.6. Earthquakes of this strength could trigger a tsunami. | This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 52 km (32 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 710 thousand people exposed to shaking
An estimated 710 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.
Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 4,780 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 620 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely 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 |
92,570 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
616,300 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
4,780 | 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 . Kokopo in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 123 kilometer (76 mi) east-southeast of Kokopo. The intensity of shaking and damage in Kokopo is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).
Overview of nearby places
Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
---|---|---|
123 km (76 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
IV
Light |
301 km (187 mi) SE from epicenter |
Arawa Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. |
|
365 km (227 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kimbe West New Britain, 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 V.
Shaking reported by 5 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within 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:
- Namatanai, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea: 3 people.
- Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.
- Kainantu, Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.
5 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 5 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 9 km (6 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 days later. It measured a magnitude of 5.2
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Roughly 3 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-5.3 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
---|---|---|---|
Foreshock | M 5.3 |
3 days earlier Nov 13, 2024 00:31 (Port Moresby Time) | 92 km (57 mi) W from Main Shock. |
Main Shock This Earthquake |
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 4.5 |
2 days later Nov 17, 2024 04:27 (Port Moresby Time) | 25 km (16 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?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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 6 years
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 14th, 2019, when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit 108 km (67 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on January 22nd, 2017.
In total, 12 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.6 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 months.
Sources
Last updated 02/12/24 07:08 (). 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.