October 13, 1993 Earthquake: Upper Markham Valley, Eastern, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Upper Markham Valley, Eastern, Papua New Guinea on October 13, 1993 at 02:06:00 UTC, 25 km below the surface. It killed 60 people.
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 13, 1993
- Time
- 02:06:00 UTC
- Place
- Upper Markham Valley, Eastern, Papua New Guinea
- Magnitude
- 6.9 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 25 km (16 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 5.889° S, 146.020° E
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
The toll
- Deaths
- 60
- Injuries
- 200
- Damage
- $5 million
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.
Sixty people were killed and several injured in the Uper Markham Valley. Large landslides blocked the Ume River and contributed to many of the casualties. (reference #1053)
53 killed, 200 injured, $5 million damage. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 6, 1988, Kaiapit (Landslide Generated), Papua New Guinea
- April 1, 2002, Morobe, Papua New Guinea
- September 10, 2022, Morobe, Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea
- October 31, 1970, Madang, Papua New Guinea
- February 8, 1987, Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea
- 1873, Maclay Coast, Papua New Guinea
- October 7, 2023, Madang, Papua New Guinea
- September 25, 1971, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- 1875, Maclay Coast, Papua New Guinea
- June 25, 1979, E, MT Hagen, Papua New Guinea
- April 17, 1857, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- February 17, 1951, Papua New Guinea
- August 2, 1969, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- May 6, 2019, Wampar, Morobe, Papua New Guinea
- March 27, 1984, Karkar, Papua New Guinea
More
Significant earthquakes of 1993The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1993Recent 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 5366.