In the evening of Saturday November 23rd, 2024, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake hit in the Bismarck Sea 268 kilometer from Madang, Papua New Guinea.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Bismarck Sea, 113 kilometers (70 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 268 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 20:47 (Port Moresby Time) - Nov 23, 2024 10:47 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 268 km north of Madang, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 2°48'34"S 145°42'39"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 35 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.097 . |
| 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 . Wewak in East Sepik, Papua New Guinea is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 245 kilometer (152 mi) east-northeast of Wewak.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 245 km (152 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Wewak East Sepik, Papua New Guinea. |
| 268 km (167 mi) S from epicenter |
Madang Madang, Papua New Guinea. |
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 23 km (14 mi) south-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 hr later. It measured a magnitude of 4.8
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 22 mins earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5.1
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
22 mins earlier Nov 23, 2024 20:25 (Port Moresby Time) | 6 km (3 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
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?
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 September 11th, 2024, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 94 km (58 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on November 27th, 2023.
In total, 53 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 5.2. 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 10:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000p78j
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241123_0000084
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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