Twin M6.7 earthquakes hit Papua New Guinea
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
Two strong earthquakes registered by the USGS as M6.7 hit the eastern New Guinea region of Papua New Guinea on October 7, 2023. The first quake struck at 08:34 UTC at a depth of 54 km (33 miles) and the second at 08:40 UTC at a depth of 74 km (46 miles). EMSC is reporting two M6.7 earthquakes at depths of 67 km (42 miles) and 57 km (35 miles).
The epicenters were located 56.8 km (35.3 miles) SE of Madang (population 27 419), 98.6 km (61.3 miles) ENE of Goroka (population 18 503), and 157.5 km (97.9 miles) NW of Lae (population 76 255), Papua New Guinea.
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
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.
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