Magnitude
7.4
Time
2015-05-05 01:44:07 (UTC)
2015-05-04 15:44:07 Hawaii Standard Time
Nearby Cities
133km (83mi) SSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
196km (122mi) E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
346km (215mi) SSE of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea
408km (254mi) W of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
680km (423mi) NE of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 4 NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI 0326 UTC TUE MAY 5 2015 ...PTWC FINAL TSUNAMI THREAT MESSAGE... PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS --------------------------------- * MAGNITUDE 7.4 * ORIGIN TIME 0144 UTC MAY 5 2015 * COORDINATES 5.5 SOUTH 152.0 EAST * DEPTH 50 KM / 31 MILES * LOCATION NEW BRITAIN REGION PAPUA NEW GUINEA EVALUATION ---------- * AN EARTHQUAKE WITH A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 7.4 OCCURRED IN THE NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA AT 0144 UTC ON TUESDAY MAY 5 2015. * THE PORT MORESBY OBSERVATORY HAS REPORTED SOME TSUNAMI OSCILLATIONS IN RABAUL HARBOR. * BASED ON ALL DATA AVAILABLE TO THIS CENTER... THE TSUNAMI THREAT FROM THIS EARTHQUAKE HAS NOW MOSTLY PASSED. ANY REMAINING THREAT SHOULD BE EVALUATED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN IMPACTED AREAS. TSUNAMI THREAT FORECAST...UPDATED --------------------------------- * THE TSUNAMI THREAT HAS NOW LARGELY PASSED. RECOMMENDED ACTIONS ------------------- * GOVERNMENT AGENCIES RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY IMPACTED COASTAL AREAS SHOULD MONITOR CONDITIONS AT THE COAST TO DETERMINE IF AND WHEN IT IS SAFE TO RESUME NORMAL ACTIVITIES. * PERSONS LOCATED NEAR IMPACTED COASTAL AREAS SHOULD STAY ALERT FOR INFORMATION AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES. * REMAIN OBSERVANT AND EXERCISE NORMAL CAUTION NEAR THE SEA. POTENTIAL IMPACTS ----------------- * MINOR SEA LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS OF UP TO 0.3 METERS ABOVE AND BELOW THE NORMAL TIDE MAY CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. NEXT UPDATE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -------------------------------------- * THIS WILL BE THE FINAL STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS NEW INFORMATION IS RECEIVED OR THE SITUATION CHANGES. * AUTHORITATIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE FROM THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT EARTHQUAKE.USGS.GOV/EARTHQUAKES -ALL LOWER CASE-. * FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EVENT MAY BE FOUND AT PTWC.WEATHER.GOV AND AT WWW.TSUNAMI.GOV. * COASTAL REGIONS OF HAWAII... AMERICAN SAMOA... GUAM... AND CNMI SHOULD REFER TO PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER MESSAGES SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE PLACES THAT CAN BE FOUND AT PTWC.WEATHER.GOV. * COASTAL REGIONS OF CALIFORNIA... OREGON... WASHINGTON... BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALASKA SHOULD ONLY REFER TO U.S. NATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER MESSAGES THAT CAN BE FOUND AT NTWC.ARH.NOAA.GOV.
USGS: How large does an earthquake have to be to cause a tsunami?
Magnitudes below 6.5
Earthquakes of this magnitude are very unlikely to trigger a tsunami.Magnitudes between 6.5 and 7.5
Earthquakes of this size do not usually produce destructive tsunamis. However, small sea level changes may be observed in the vicinity of the epicenter. Tsunamis capable of producing damage or casualties are rare in this magnitude range but have occurred due to secondary effects such as landslides or submarine slumps.Magnitudes between 7.6 and 7.8
Earthquakes of this size may produce destructive tsunamis especially near the epicenter; at greater distances small sea level changes may be observed. Tsunamis capable of producing damage at great distances are rare in the magnitude range.Magnitude 7.9 and greater
Destructive local tsunamis are possible near the epicenter, and significant sea level changes and damage may occur in a broader region.Note that with a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, the probability of an aftershock with a magnitude exceeding 7.5 is not negligible. To date, the largest aftershock recorded has been magnitude 7.1 that did not produce a damaging tsunami.
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