World Map › Major Earthquakes Since 1900 › 1998
Historic Earthquake
1998 Papua New Guinea Earthquake
17 July 1998 · Sissano · Papua New Guinea
On 17 July 1998 at 08:49 UTC, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Papua New Guinea (Sissano), at a depth of 25 km. It occurred on the Woodlark Plate, 6 km from its boundary with the North Bismarck Plate (subduction zone). It killed at least 1,636 people and injured 1,000.
- Date
- 17 July 1998
- Time
- 08:49 UTC
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Depth
- 25 km
- Deaths
- 1,636
- Injuries
- 1,000
- Tsunami
- See the tsunami (15.0 m wave)
- Plate
- Woodlark Plate
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
Nearby Major Earthquakes
Other major earthquakes recorded within 300 km.
- 2002Kairiru Is, Muschu Is · M 7.64 deaths
- 1986Papua New Guinea · M 7.1
- 1968N Coast, Wewak · M 7.5
- 1935N-Central · M 7.8
- 1918N Coast · M 7.5
- 1917Papua New Guinea · M 7.5
- 1916N Coast · M 7.5
- 1907Bismarck Sea · M 7.4
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Significant Earthquake Database (doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K) · Wikidata · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Natural Earth