Deep M6.0 earthquake hits Papua New Guinea
A deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit near the coast of Papua New Guinea at 12:18 UTC on October 30, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 521 km (323 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 514 km (319 miles).
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 126.6 km (76.2 miles) N of Kimbe (population 18 847), West New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
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
References:
1 M6.0 earthquake Papua New Guinea – USGS – October 30, 2024
2 M6.0 earthquake Papua New Guinea – EMSC – October 30, 2024
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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