M6.0 earthquake hits near the coast of New Britain, P.N.G.

A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit near the coast of New Britain, Papua New Guinea at 10:34 UTC on October 1, 2020, at a depth of 109 km (68 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 80 km (50 miles). This is the second M6+ earthquake today. It hit about 9 hours after a shallow M6.4 in the Tonga region.

The epicenter was located 99 km (61 miles) W of Kandrian and 174 km (108 miles) WSW of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea.

There are about 69 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).

518 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking.

There is no tsunami risk from this earthquake.

Image credit: TW/SAM, Google

The USGS issued a green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are informal (metal, timber, GI, etc.) and unreinforced brick masonry construction.

Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides and liquefaction that might have contributed to losses.

Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking

Selected cities exposed

Regional seismicity

Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google