Strong mag. 6.5 earthquake - New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea, on Wednesday, 6 May 1987 at 12:39 (GMT)
Strong magnitude 6.5 earthquake at 20 km depth
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Date & time: 6 May 1987 12:39:49 UTC
Magnitude: 6.5
Depth: 20.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 5.715°S / 152.656°E
(
Papua New Guinea)
Nearest volcano:
Ulawun (164 km / 102 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:737 km (458 mi) NE of Port Moresby (pop: 283,700) -->
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Primary data source:
USGS (United States Geological Survey)
Estimated released energy: 3.5 x 10
14 joules (98.6 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 84802 tons of TNT or 5.3 atomic bombs!)
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Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
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| Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
| M 6.5 | 20 km | New Britain region, Papua New Guinea | USGS |
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Aftershocks of the 6.5 quake New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea, 6 May 1987 12:39 GMT
More info
Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake ruptured along a surface of approx. 316 km
2 (=122 sqare miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 31 km (19 mi).
Aftershocks typically occur during the weeks and months following the quake at or near the same fault, at distances of up to approx. two times the length of the rupture zone.
The often broadly linear arrangement of aftershock epicenters encompasses the rupture zone of the main shock (check on the
map below to verify).
31 Oct 1987 02:35 UTC
| M 4.1 | 33 km (20.5 mi) depth
| 88 km (55 mi) distance
| USGS | Details10 Oct 1987 15:58 UTC
| M 4.6 | 48.6 km (30.2 mi) depth
| 73 km (45 mi) distance
| USGS | Details09 Oct 1987 08:02 UTC
| M 4.3 | 33 km (20.5 mi) depth
| 82 km (51 mi) distance
| USGS | Details14 Sep 1987 03:24 UTC
| M 4.1 | 60.2 km (37.4 mi) depth
| 104 km (65 mi) distance
| USGS | Details04 Sep 1987 14:34 UTC
| M 5.0 | 50.2 km (31.2 mi) depth
| 62 km (39 mi) distance
| USGS | Details02 Sep 1987 05:56 UTC
| M 4.1 | 50.3 km (31.3 mi) depth
| 51 km (31 mi) distance
| USGS | Details25 Aug 1987 06:06 UTC
| M 4.6 | 24.5 km (15.2 mi) depth
| 73 km (45 mi) distance
| USGS | Details25 Aug 1987 00:35 UTC
| M 4.4 | 10 km (6.2 mi) depth
| 67 km (42 mi) distance
| USGS | Details24 Aug 1987 02:06 UTC
| M 3.5 | 33 km (20.5 mi) depth
| 79 km (49 mi) distance
| USGS | Details24 Aug 1987 00:31 UTC
| M 4.8 | 52.5 km (32.6 mi) depth
| 82 km (51 mi) distance
| USGS | Details22 Aug 1987 08:10 UTC
| M 4.6 | 36.9 km (22.9 mi) depth
| 86 km (54 mi) distance
| USGS | Details21 Aug 1987 18:22 UTC
| M 5.9 | 36.3 km (22.6 mi) depth
| 105 km (66 mi) distance
| USGS | Details21 Aug 1987 18:20 UTC
| M 5.1 | 45.6 km (28.3 mi) depth
| 88 km (55 mi) distance
| USGS | Details21 Aug 1987 17:46 UTC
| M 4.6 | 33 km (20.5 mi) depth
| 85 km (53 mi) distance
| USGS | Details21 Aug 1987 13:08 UTC
| M 3.4 | 107.3 km (66.7 mi) depth
| 43 km (27 mi) distance
| USGS | Details31 Jul 1987 16:30 UTC
| M 4.3 | 47.8 km (29.7 mi) depth
| 79 km (49 mi) distance
| USGS | DetailsShow all
29 Jul 1987 18:53 UTC
| M 3.7 | 33 km (20.5 mi) depth
| 24 km (15 mi) distance
| USGS | Details28 Jul 1987 03:15 UTC
| M 4.6 | 48.3 km (30 mi) depth
| 78 km (48 mi) distance
| USGS | Details27 Jul 1987 14:29 UTC
| M 4.0 | 33 km (20.5 mi) depth
| 17 km (11 mi) distance
| USGS | Details23 Jul 1987 08:48 UTC
| M 3.9 | 10 km (6.2 mi) depth
| 83 km (52 mi) distance
| USGS | Details23 Jul 1987 08:04 UTC
| M 3.8 | 33 km (20.5 mi) depth
| 93 km (58 mi) distance
| USGS | Details22 Jul 1987 12:25 UTC
| M 4.6 | 33 km (20.5 mi) depth
| 83 km (52 mi) distance
| USGS | Details22 Jul 1987 08:32 UTC
| M 4.9 | 33.5 km (20.8 mi) depth
| 92 km (57 mi) distance
| USGS | Details22 Jul 1987 05:21 UTC
| M 3.7 | 33 km (20.5 mi) depth
| 87 km (54 mi) distance
| USGS | Details22 Jul 1987 04:17 UTC
| M 5.6 | 40.7 km (25.3 mi) depth
| 97 km (60 mi) distance
| USGS | Details22 Jul 1987 02:22 UTC
| M 4.6 | 10 km (6.2 mi) depth
| 79 km (49 mi) distance
| USGS | Details22 Jul 1987 01:53 UTC
| M 4.3 | 10 km (6.2 mi) depth
| 81 km (50 mi) distance
| USGS | Details22 Jul 1987 01:35 UTC
| M 5.2 | 39 km (24.2 mi) depth
| 96 km (59 mi) distance
| USGS | Details11 Jul 1987 22:47 UTC
| M 5.0 | 68.2 km (42.4 mi) depth
| 91 km (56 mi) distance
| USGS | Details27 Jun 1987 16:14 UTC
| M 4.9 | 62.9 km (39.1 mi) depth
| 87 km (54 mi) distance
| USGS | Details17 Jun 1987 16:32 UTC
| M 4.9 | 39.7 km (24.7 mi) depth
| 6 km (3 mi) distance
| USGS | Details31 May 1987 18:45 UTC
| M 5.2 | 13.7 km (8.5 mi) depth
| 12 km (8 mi) distance
| USGS | Details21 May 1987 21:18 UTC
| M 5.1 | 21.1 km (13.1 mi) depth
| 93 km (57 mi) distance
| USGS | Details08 May 1987 07:39 UTC
| M 5.2 | 41.7 km (25.9 mi) depth
| 16 km (10 mi) distance
| USGS | Details07 May 1987 11:24 UTC
| M 3.7 | 6 km (3.7 mi) depth
| 25 km (15 mi) distance
| USGS | Details07 May 1987 10:54 UTC
| M 4.0 | 62.5 km (38.8 mi) depth
| 28 km (17 mi) distance
| USGS | Details07 May 1987 05:19 UTC
| M 4.5 | 19.9 km (12.4 mi) depth
| 17 km (11 mi) distance
| USGS | Details07 May 1987 01:51 UTC
| M 5.3 | 10 km (6.2 mi) depth
| 81 km (50 mi) distance
| USGS | Details06 May 1987 20:09 UTC
| M 4.4 | 24.6 km (15.3 mi) depth
| 15 km (9 mi) distance
| USGS | Details06 May 1987 14:48 UTC
| M 4.6 | 12.8 km (8 mi) depth
| 29 km (18 mi) distance
| USGS | Details
Earlier earthquakes in the same area
Strong mag. 6.5 earthquake - New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea, on Wednesday, 6 May 1987 at 12:39 (GMT)
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