Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Bismarck Sea, P.N.G.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea at 13:21 UTC on April 28, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
The epicenter was located about 171.3 km (106.4 miles) NE of Madang and 276.2 km (171.6 miles) NNE of Goroka, Papua New Guinea.
There are about 12 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
167 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking.
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
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
