July 17, 1998 Earthquake: Sissano, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Sissano, Papua New Guinea on July 17, 1998 at 08:49:16 UTC, 25 km below the surface. It killed 1,636 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
- July 17, 1998
- Time
- 08:49:16 UTC
- Place
- Sissano, Papua New Guinea
- Magnitude
- 7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 25 km (16 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 2.943° S, 142.582° E
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
The toll
- Deaths
- 1,636 with its tsunami and other effects
- Injuries
- 1,000 with its tsunami and other effects
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 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.
1998, July 17. At least 2,183 people killed, thousands injured, about 9,500 homeless and about 500 missing as a result of a tsunami generated in the Sissano area. Maximum wave heights estimated at 15 meters. Several villages were completely destroyed and others extensively damaged. Maximum recorded wave heights from selected tide stations (peak-to-trough, in cm) were as follows: 40 on Miyake-jima; 30 at Tosa-Shimuzu, Shikoku; 26 at Muroto, Shikoku; 24 at Naze, Amami O-shima; 20 on Tanega-shima; 20 at Kushimoto, Honshu; 6 at Jackson Bay and 4.7 at Kaikoura, New Zealand; 5 on Yap. Felt along much of the northern Papua New Guinea coast. (reference #1053)
1998, July 17, 08:49:16.05 UTC. 2.943 S, 142.582 E, depth 25 km, magnitude 7.0 Mw, 7.1 Ms. (reference #9910)
1998, July 17, 08:49:18.87 UTC. 3.114 S, 142.438 E, depth 30 km, magnitude 6.98 Mw. (reference #10476)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 2, 2023, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea
- March 23, 2024, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea
- September 8, 2002, Kairiru Is, Muschu Is, Wewak, Papua New Guinea
- January 10, 2002, Aitape, Papua New Guinea
- December 15, 1907, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- February 22, 1951, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- July 3, 1918, N Coast, Papua New Guinea
- August 7, 1931, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- October 23, 1968, N Coast, Wewak, Dagua, Papua New Guinea
- July 29, 1917, Papua New Guinea
- September 20, 1935, N-Central, Papua New Guinea
More
Significant earthquakes of 1998The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1998Recent 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 5501.