August 2, 1969 Earthquake: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea on August 2, 1969 at 04:30:29 UTC, 17 km below the surface. 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
- August 2, 1969
- Time
- 04:30:29 UTC
- Place
- Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 6.600° S, 146.900° 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.
- September 6, 1988, Kaiapit (Landslide Generated), Papua New Guinea
- October 13, 1993, Upper Markham Valley, Eastern, Papua New Guinea
- April 1, 2002, Morobe, Papua New Guinea
- September 10, 2022, Morobe, Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea
- February 8, 1987, Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea
- July 17, 2020, Morobe, Oro, Papua New Guinea
- September 25, 1971, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- May 6, 2019, Wampar, Morobe, Papua New Guinea
- 1875, Maclay Coast, Papua New Guinea
- February 17, 1951, Papua New Guinea
- May 12, 1938, Papua New Guinea
- April 17, 1857, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- October 11, 1913, Papua New Guinea
- October 7, 2023, Madang, Papua New Guinea
- 1873, Maclay Coast, Papua New Guinea
More
Significant earthquakes of 1969The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1969Recent 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 6597.