M 6.8 struck near north coast of New Guinea, PNG

USGS and EMSC registered shallow M 6.8 struck near coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea on April 16, 2013 at 22:55 UTC. The epicenter was 136 km (84 miles) WNW from Wewak and 870 km (5441 miles) NW from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea at coordinates 3.178°S, 142.514°E. The depth of epicenter was 8 km (5 miles). There is no reports of damage. No tsunami warning was issued.

(Credit: Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)

 

USGS has calculated that some coastal settlements may experience a MMI VIII Severe shaking. These data are based on a M6.8 Magnitude at an extremely shallow depth of 8 km. The MMI VIII shaking may also be a problem for concrete houses near the coast. PNG houses are often struck by very strong to massive earthquakes but mostly the earthquake data are more favorable.  GDACS has calculated that the max. tsunami wave could be 30 cm. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center didn’t issue tsunami warning or tsunami watch alert.

Magnitude	6.6
Date-Time	Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 22:55:27 UTC Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at 08:55:27 AM at epicenter
Location	3.218°S, 142.543°E
Depth	13 km (8.1 miles)
Region	NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
Distances	18 km (11 miles) ESE of Aitape, Papua New Guinea 130 km (80 miles) WNW of Wewak, Papua New Guinea 145 km (90 miles) ESE of Vanimo, Papua New Guinea 213 km (132 miles) ESE of Jayapura, Indonesia
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 13.6 km (8.5 miles); depth +/- 2.7 km (1.7 miles)
Parameters	NST=101, Nph=101, Dmin=552.1 km, Rmss=1.42 sec, Gp= 18°, M-type=”moment” magnitude from initial P wave (tsuboi method) (Mi/Mwp), Version=I
Source	Magnitude: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D) Location: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	usb000g8my

 

Featured image credit: Pacific Tsunami Warning Center