Strong and shallow M6.3 earthquake hits New Britain region, Papua New Guinea
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit the New Britain region, Papua New Guinea at 09:06 UTC (19:06 LT) on April 19, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 55 km (34 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.3 at a depth of 80 km (49 miles).
The epicenter was located 24 km (14.9 miles) NNE of Kandrian (population 1 014), 77.2 km (48 miles) SW of Kimber (population 18 847), and 299.8 km (186.3 miles) ENE of Lae (population 76 255), Papua New Guinea.
45 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking and 282 000 light.
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
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