July 13, 2017 Earthquake: Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Papua New Guinea on July 13, 2017 at 03:36:08 UTC, 34 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
- July 13, 2017
- Time
- 03:36:08 UTC
- Place
- Papua New Guinea
- Magnitude
- 6.4 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 34 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 4.779° S, 153.211° E
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
- Region
- Central and South Pacific
- USGS record
- The USGS’s page for this earthquake
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
Magnitude estimates
The magnitudes the USGS catalog lists for this earthquake, by scale and by who computed them. NCEI’s own scales are in the table above.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.4 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.073 · 18 stations |
| 6.43 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 6.7 | Mi | NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center | Reviewed · 20 stations |
| 6.7 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | Reviewed · 16 stations |
| 6.4 | Mwc, centroid moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
| 6.4 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #13456 U.S. Geological Survey (2017 to present). Earthquake Hazards Program, Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) Comprehensive Catalog of Earthquake Events and Products.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 28, 1937, Keravia, Rabaul, Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
- December 22, 1983, Ulawun, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
- January 13, 1941, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- July 14, 1971, Bougainville, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- November 16, 2000, New Ireland, Duke of York, Papua New Guinea
- March 10, 1989, Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- February 4, 1878, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- July 26, 1971, Bismarck Sea Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
- November 4, 1923, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
- March 6, 1938, Papua New Guinea
- September 9, 2005, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- March 18, 1983, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- September 29, 1946, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- December 17, 2016, New Britain New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- June 22, 1768, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
More
Significant earthquakes of 2017The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2017Recent 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 10770. The written accounts and the magnitude estimates are from the USGS earthquake catalog, event us20009vvi, matched to this record by time, place and magnitude.