M6.1 earthquake hits New Britain, P.N.G.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong earthquake registered by the EMSC as M6.1 hit the New Britain region of Papua New Guinea at 03:00 UTC on April 13, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 156 km (96 miles). USGS is reporting it as M5.9 at a depth of 147 km (91 miles).
The epicenter was located about 34 km (21 miles) WSW of Kokopo (population 26 273) and 238 km (148 miles) ENE of Kimbe (population 18 847), Papua New Guinea.
There are about 240 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
548 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking, according to the USGS PAGER.
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 that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.