December 23, 1930 Earthquake: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea

Name: December 23, 1930 Earthquake: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
Start: 1930-12-23
Location: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea

December 23, 1930 · M6.5 · 27 deaths · 104 houses destroyed

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea on December 23, 1930 at 21:35:36 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 27 people, counting the tsunami it caused.

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: December 23, 1930
Time: 21:35:36 UTC
Place: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
Magnitude: 6.5 (Ms)
Focal depth: 33 km (21 mi)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 1.300° S, 144.300° E
Country: Papua New Guinea

The toll

Deaths: 27 with its tsunami and other effects
Injuries: 8 with its tsunami and other effects
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with its tsunami and other effects
Houses destroyed: 104 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:

1930, December 23, 21:35:36 UTC. 1.3 S, 144.3 E, magnitude 5.75 (ISS). The radiotelegraph station on the eastern part of New Guinea broadcast that, according to a report from the "Duris" steamship, on Decmeber 24, 1930, the Western Islets were hit by a destructive earthquake. The waves flooded the land to a height of 2.5 m (8 feet). Homes and cattle were washed away on Awin Island.

ISS: [M=5 3/4 + 1/4].

Reference #2666:

1.4S, 144.3E, magnitude 6.5.

Significant earthquakes of 1930 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1930 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 6090.