Strong earthquake near Wewak, Papua New Guinea – NO damage or injuries

Last update: September 13, 2011 at 8:22 am by By

Earthquake overview : A strong earthquake at intermediate depth occurred at 08:44 local time at only 44 km of Wewak, Papua New Guinea
"I have Felt it" Reports –> see below + Let us know how you have felt this earthquake
To read the full story as it happened, we advise our readers to start at the lower part of the page (earthquake data).

Keep this page open or return regularly as we will be back with more details when they become available

IMPORTANT FINAL UPDATE 13/09 – 07:44 UTC : Good news from Wewak PNG.  The Stuart family living near Wewak in the Sepik river area reassured us that everything is OK over there : "We felt some strong shaking (10-15 seconds) in our building here in Wewak that has a concrete floor.  However, others here in Wewak didn't feel it at all.  I have not heard any news of damage anywhere".
Toni and Jason Stuart helped earthquake-report.com also with local reports on the August 1,2011 Bam (Biem) Island 6.8 magnitude earthquake.
Read also : Papua New Guinea 01/08/2011 earthquake : “happy end” for the people from Bam (Biem) volcano island + videos

 

Update : PNG has very few shaking deaths, even after sometimes violent earthquakes. Most of the victims in Papua New Guinea are due to tsunamis.

Update : 39,000 people will experience a strong shaking following the theoretical models from USGS. 174,000 people a moderate MMI V shaking and 340,000 people a light MMI IV shaking.

Update : It will take a number of hours before the coastal communities will hopefully report that everything is OK. Thanks to the close distance to Wewak, we will hopefully get some news this time.

Update : PNG houses are mostly build out of wood and have a very high resistance against earthquakes.

Update : The closest villages to the epicenter are : Wagamut, Kaup villages, Kaup and Samap.

Update : Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea.  It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura.

Update : Australian Geoscience (instruments relatively close to PNG) has a magnitude of 6.3 but a far better depth of 62 km (much weaker shaking).

Update : So far we have NO sign of a tsunami warning or alert.  The danger would be only local as the magnitude is not strong enough to generate a wider tsunami.  GDACS has very good theoretical models and GDACS has not released a tsunami bulletin which is a very good sign.

Update : the earthquake occurred in the direct coastal area (only a few km from the coastline)

"I Have Felt It" reports as received by Earthquake-Report.com
MMI values (if indicated) after the text (III: Weak shaking, IV Light shaking, V Moderate shaking, VI Strong shaking, VII Very Strong shaking)
- No Felt reports as yet, be the first to send us what you experienced.

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.2 (USGS) and 6.3 (Geoscience Australia)
UTC Time : Monday, September 12, 2011 at 22:44:32 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 08:44:32 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 34.9 km
Geo-location(s) :
44 km (27 miles) ESE (104°) from Wewak, New Guinea, PNG

Links to important maps
USGS Did You Feel It Map
Google satellite map showing the epicenter and the surrounding area.
Historic earthquakes map
Seismic hazard map
Shaking map
Focal mechanism report
Human impact map
GDACS earthquake report
 

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I did feel it – Ik heb het gevoeld – Το έκανα αισθάνεται – Yo lo siento – 我的确感到了 – 私はそれを感じていました- Ich habe es gefühlt – Bunu hissediyorum yaptı – لم أشعر أنه

Country and location
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Tell us where in which location you felt the earthquake
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Your Email address might help us if we request for additional details about your experience. This field is NOT mandatory. It is up to you to give it or not.
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People :
Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
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People :
Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
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People :
Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building.
Fittings :
Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock.
Structures :
Walls and frames of buildings, and partitions and suspended ceilings in commercial buildings, may be heard to creak.
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People :
Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed.
Fittings :
Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate.
Structures :
Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
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People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily.
Fittings :
Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut).
Structures :
Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall.
Environment :
Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
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People
General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop.
Fittings :
Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings.
Structures :
Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged.
Environment :
Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
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People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
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Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
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