World Map › Major Earthquakes Since 1900 › 1938
Historic Earthquake
1938 Papua New Guinea Earthquake
12 May 1938 · Papua New Guinea
On 12 May 1938 at 15:38 UTC, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Papua New Guinea. It occurred on the South Bismarck Plate, 123 km from its boundary with the Woodlark Plate (continental collision). It triggered a tsunami.
- Date
- 12 May 1938
- Time
- 15:38 UTC
- Magnitude
- 7.5
- Tsunami
- Yes
- Plate
- South Bismarck Plate
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
- Nearest Volcano
- Umboi (46 km)
Nearby Major Earthquakes
Other major earthquakes recorded within 300 km.
- 20222022 Papua New Guinea Earthquake · M 7.621 deaths
- 1987New Britain, Kandrian · M 7.7
- 1987Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island · M 7.63 deaths
- 1947New Britain · M 7.3
- 1945New Britain · M 7.8
- 1920New Britain · M 7.7
- 1906New Britain · M 8.0
- 1905Bismarck Sea · M 7.5
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Significant Earthquake Database (doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K) · Wikidata · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Natural Earth