A shallow and significant MAG-5.1 foreshock struck in the Bismarck Sea 264 kilometer from Madang, Papua New Guinea in the evening of Saturday November 23rd, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Bismarck Sea, 119 kilometers (74 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 264 kilometer north of Madang. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 23, 2024 20:25 (Port Moresby Time) - Nov 23, 2024 10:25 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 264 km north of Madang, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 2°50'47"S 145°40'34"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 48 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.082 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Wewak in East Sepik, Papua New Guinea. Wewak is located 240 kilometer (149 mi) east-northeast of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 240 km (149 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Wewak East Sepik, Papua New Guinea. |
| 264 km (164 mi) S from epicenter |
Madang Madang, Papua New Guinea. |
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.2 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
22 mins earlier Nov 23, 2024 20:25 (Port Moresby Time) | 6 km (3 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.2 |
Nov 23, 2024 20:47 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
1 hr later Nov 23, 2024 22:07 (Port Moresby Time) | 23 km (14 mi) SE 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.
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 September 11th, 2024, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 95 km (59 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on October 7th, 2023.
In total, 66 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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.
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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 28/11/24 10:28 (). 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 us6000p78e
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241123_0000081
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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