M7.6 Earthquake 70 km E of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea — September 10, 2022
2022-09-10 23:47:00 UTC (2022-09-10) · approx. 9:47 AM UTC+10 local
Felt by 102 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 7.6 (severe).
On September 10, 2022 at 23:47 UTC, a magnitude 7.6 intermediate depth earthquake struck 70 km E of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea, at a depth of 116.0 km and coordinates -6.2944°, 146.5038°. The earthquake was reported felt by 102 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 7.6 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 272 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 965, making it one of the more significant events of the week. The nearest populated place is Kainantu (population 8,509).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3.8 megatons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 106 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Papua New Guinea, a region characterized by the collision and subduction of the Pacific, Australian, and Solomon Sea plates. View all earthquakes in Papua New Guinea.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 7.6 (severe), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Very strong shaking. Difficult to stand. Damage to weak structures; slight damage to well-built structures. Furniture broken. Fallen plaster and loose bricks.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 102 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 31,326 |
| MMI 4 | light | 1,953,644 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 1,590,248 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 1,144,702 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 1,279,832 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 91,795 |
Earthquake Details
146.5038°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 7.6 earthquake near Kainantu, Papua New Guinea?
The magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck 70 km E of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea on September 10, 2022 at 23:47 UTC had a depth of 116.0 km. It was felt by 102 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 7.6 (severe). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -6.2944°, 146.5038°, which is 70 km E of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea. The nearest populated place is Kainantu (population 8,509). View all earthquakes in Papua New Guinea.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 7.6 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Has Papua New Guinea had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Papua New Guinea was the M8.0 New Britain earthquake of July 18, 1971. Today's magnitude 7.6 event is within one magnitude unit of that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000iitd). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, September 10, 2022). M7.6 Earthquake 70 km E of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea — September 10, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000iitd/