Update April 14
- A little late for this report but the damage was far bigger than initially expected. It took also quite some time to reach the epicenter area. Authorities finally could assess the region by helicopter.
- Thousands of residents in 3 inland districts had experienced food shortages
- A lot of farming fields have been destroyed by landslides
- Relief services hope that the provincial government can provide assistance in the form of food, clean water, and medicines.
- The disaster site is located at 2,700 meters above sea level and is blamed as the main reason for the slow distribution of aid to disaster
- The fatalities all occurred in the Tolikara area
Papua New Guinea consists mostly of thick rain forest and landslides are a common killing trigger in places where forests have been destroyed to obtain farming ground.
Update - 3 people were killed by landslides. Details will come to light over the next few days.
Update - There has been a minor aftershock of M5.2 in the last few minutes. There is no damage expected. Good news also from this earthquake - in the Karubaga Tolikara city, which was near the epicenter (50km away) there have been no casualties and also no damage - this is confirmed and not just a statement like most newspapers!.
Fatalities from 1900-2012 from earthquakes (CATDAT Damaging Earthquakes Database v5.18)
Update - Landslides caused by the shaking are of course a main concern from such an earthquake rather than direct shaking fatalities. It can be seen that more than 1 in every 10 earthquake victims have been from landslides since 1900. The wetness of the ground, slope and vegetation play a major role also in whether landslides occur.
Update - Timber production and mines are the general central Papua industries, thus these will likely be unaffected by VI shaking. Most of the population lives on the coast with traditional groups living in the center.
Update - The depth of this earthquake should help matters a lot.´The BMKG has come with a M7.2 earthquake at 173km. Buildings here are generally built from natural materials and can withstand very large earthquakes. The shaking has been described as “light” from people there so we hope for the best. Panic occurred in a few regions, however no tsunami will occur due to the depth and location.
Massive earthquake at an intermediate depth with an epicenter in the heart of the Indonesian part of Papua New Guinea. Even at this intermediate depth we expect very strong shaking.
Only small tribam settlements can be found in the inner part of Papua as Irian Jaya is also called.
237km (147mi) E of Enarotali, Indonesia
256km (159mi) WSW of Abepura, Indonesia
272km (169mi) WSW of Jayapura, Indonesia
330km (205mi) E of Nabire, Indonesia
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 7
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-04-06 13:42:32
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-04-06 04:42:32
Depth (Hypocenter) : 53 km
Depth and Magnitude updates in the list below.
Share your earthquake experience (I Have Felt It) with our readers.
Click on the “I Felt It” button behind the corresponding earthquake. Your earthquake experience is not only important for science, but also for people in the area as well as our global readership.
Timika, Papua - Three moments of light shaking lasting a total of about one minute
southern highlands PNG - about 2.30pm soft rolling motion for at least 30 seconds. felt by all people in office also noticed by staff on site...dizzy feeling.
Nhulunbuy - Light shaking of the ground
MORO-PAPUA - estamos ubicados en el sitio llamado MORO cerda de su aeropuerto y el movimiento fue tremendamente fuerte, tuvo como duracion un minuto, todo en la oficina se movia al igual que los contenedores con materiales, fue sumamente fuerte!!
Sentani, Papua - mild shaking in our home. no rattling of windows or things falling off shelves.
Wamena - The quake lasted for over one minute. It felt mostly like smooth waves going across us underground. Some things fell off walls and shelves and in the city some buildings had minor damage, such as windows coming loose. Nobody was inured or killed.
Wamena, Papua, Indonesia - Strong shaking building for about 10 seconds and prolonged shaking at that level for almost a minute total. small items fell off shelves and dishes rattling in cupboards, power poles and trees whipping back and forth outside
Fast EARTHQUAKE and TSUNAMI TWEETS @ your MAGNITUDE choice
Massive earthquake below inner Irian Jaya, Indonesia - 3 killed by landslides + a lot of damage
Last update: April 14, 2013 at 5:18 pm by By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell
Update April 14
- A little late for this report but the damage was far bigger than initially expected. It took also quite some time to reach the epicenter area. Authorities finally could assess the region by helicopter.
- Thousands of residents in 3 inland districts had experienced food shortages
- A lot of farming fields have been destroyed by landslides
- Relief services hope that the provincial government can provide assistance in the form of food, clean water, and medicines.
- The disaster site is located at 2,700 meters above sea level and is blamed as the main reason for the slow distribution of aid to disaster
- The fatalities all occurred in the Tolikara area
Papua New Guinea consists mostly of thick rain forest and landslides are a common killing trigger in places where forests have been destroyed to obtain farming ground.
Update - 3 people were killed by landslides. Details will come to light over the next few days.
Update - There has been a minor aftershock of M5.2 in the last few minutes. There is no damage expected. Good news also from this earthquake - in the Karubaga Tolikara city, which was near the epicenter (50km away) there have been no casualties and also no damage - this is confirmed and not just a statement like most newspapers!.
Fatalities from 1900-2012 from earthquakes (CATDAT Damaging Earthquakes Database v5.18)
Update - Landslides caused by the shaking are of course a main concern from such an earthquake rather than direct shaking fatalities. It can be seen that more than 1 in every 10 earthquake victims have been from landslides since 1900. The wetness of the ground, slope and vegetation play a major role also in whether landslides occur.
Update - Timber production and mines are the general central Papua industries, thus these will likely be unaffected by VI shaking. Most of the population lives on the coast with traditional groups living in the center.
Update - The depth of this earthquake should help matters a lot.´The BMKG has come with a M7.2 earthquake at 173km. Buildings here are generally built from natural materials and can withstand very large earthquakes. The shaking has been described as “light” from people there so we hope for the best. Panic occurred in a few regions, however no tsunami will occur due to the depth and location.
Massive earthquake at an intermediate depth with an epicenter in the heart of the Indonesian part of Papua New Guinea. Even at this intermediate depth we expect very strong shaking.
Only small tribam settlements can be found in the inner part of Papua as Irian Jaya is also called.
237km (147mi) E of Enarotali, Indonesia
256km (159mi) WSW of Abepura, Indonesia
272km (169mi) WSW of Jayapura, Indonesia
330km (205mi) E of Nabire, Indonesia
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 7
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-04-06 13:42:32
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-04-06 04:42:32
Depth (Hypocenter) : 53 km
Depth and Magnitude updates in the list below.
Share your earthquake experience (I Have Felt It) with our readers.
Click on the “I Felt It” button behind the corresponding earthquake. Your earthquake experience is not only important for science, but also for people in the area as well as our global readership.
Other earlier earthquakes in the greater epicenter area (since 2012)
Strongest earthquakes Magnitude 3.5 or more within a 150 km radius from this earthquake (max. 60)