October 19, 1899 Earthquake: Bismrack Sea, Papua New Guinea
An earthquake struck Bismrack Sea, Papua New Guinea on October 19, 1899 at 09:16 UTC. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- October 19, 1899
- Time
- 09:16 UTC
- Place
- Bismrack Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 5.000° S, 148.000° E
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with its tsunami and other effects
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #414:
1899. On the eastern coast of New Ireland, there was an earthquake and a destructive tsunami which destroyed many huts on the coast. Waves were also observed in Albatross Strait between New Ireland and Baudissin Island (Sieberg, 1910, 1932; Iida et al., 1967). [It is possible that these data relate to the earthquake of October 19, 1899, at 9h16m, which was registered by seismic stations in the region of New Britain (Milne, 1912 a).]
Reference #2181:
1899, October 19, 09:16 UTC. 5 S, 148 E.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 1, 2002, Morobe, Papua New Guinea
- February 8, 1987, Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea
- September 17, 1900, Rabaul Harbor, Papua New Guinea
- May 12, 1938, Papua New Guinea
- April 17, 1857, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- July 5, 1988, Kandrian, Arawe, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- 1875, Maclay Coast, Papua New Guinea
- May 18, 1905, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- October 2, 1906, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- May 6, 1947, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- October 16, 1987, Kandrian, Kimbte, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
More
Significant earthquakes of 1899The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 10090.