December 28, 1945 Earthquake: New Britain, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck New Britain, Papua New Guinea on December 28, 1945 at 17:48:00 UTC, 60 km below the surface.
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 28, 1945
- Time
- 17:48:00 UTC
- Place
- New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- Magnitude
- 7.8
- Focal depth
- 60 km (37 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 6.000° S, 150.000° E
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 10, 1985, Bialla, Piona, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- February 2, 1920, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- July 18, 2010, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- November 17, 1964, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- October 16, 1987, Kandrian, Kimbte, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- July 5, 1988, Kandrian, Arawe, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- December 30, 1990, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- September 14, 1906, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- December 12, 1933, Papua New Guinea
- May 6, 1947, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
More
Significant earthquakes of 1945The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1945Recent 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 3816.