M5.9 earthquake 161 km E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 161 km E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea on Tue, Jul 27, 1971, 5:35 PM GMT+10 (07:35 UTC), 37 km (23 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.3 180 km ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea. This one was a foreshock.

Kimbe forecast More in Papua New Guinea

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.9 (Mw, moment), moderate
Magnitude from: ISC-GEM global catalog
Local time: Tue, Jul 27, 1971, 5:35 PM GMT+10
UTC: 1971-07-27 07:35:42 UTC
Depth: 36.6 km (22.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 5.805° S, 151.577° E
Region: Papua New Guinea
Strongest shaking: V, moderate shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: V, moderate shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 5.8% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 1.4 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.20
Depth from: From location

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Kimbe, Papua New GuineaPopulation 18,847. Forecast162 kmE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Papua New Guinea earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem782819. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 1:54 AM UTC.