Location:

Period:

19 Apr 2014 01:04:03 - 21 Apr 2014 21:59:01 (2 days 20 hours 54 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Bagana(79km), Billy Mitchell(86km), Balbi(88km)

Earthquakes:

M 7.0+:

M 7.9; 35 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea; (22 Jan 2017) (69km from the swarm center)
M 7.1; 143 km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea; (7 May 2015) (64km from the swarm center)
M 7.5; 70 km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea; (19 Apr 2014) (38km from the swarm center)
M 7.1; 56 km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea; (11 Apr 2014) (40km from the swarm center)

16 swarms found nearby.

2000

PS20001125.1(151.8km)

25 Nov

13 hours

7 earthquakes

2001

PS20010419.1(162.3km)

19 Apr

1 day 16 hours

7 earthquakes

PS20010530.1(72.4km)

29 May

5 hours

5 earthquakes

2007

PS20070217.1(137.1km)

17 Feb

4 hours

7 earthquakes

PS20070401.2(6.7km)

1 Apr

2 days 12 hours

62 earthquakes

PS20070404.1(189.6km)

4 Apr

10 hours

5 earthquakes

2014

PS20140411.1(49.6km)

11 Apr

2 days 6 hours

19 earthquakes

PS20140507.1(51.2km)

6 May

22 hours

5 earthquakes

PS20141207.1(29.0km)

7 Dec

1 day 11 hours

11 earthquakes

PS20141209.1(51.1km)

9 Dec

2 hours

5 earthquakes

2015

PS20150507.1(93.1km)

7 May

19 hours

10 earthquakes

2016

PS20161217.2(159.1km)

17 Dec

2 days 19 hours

14 earthquakes

PS20161217.1(55.9km)

17 Dec

1 day 10 hours

29 earthquakes

PS20161224.1(149.7km)

23 Dec

1 day 2 hours

7 earthquakes

2017

PS20170304.1(139.3km)

4 Mar

51 minutes

5 earthquakes

2020

PS20201229.1(23.1km)

28 Dec

6 hours

5 earthquakes

AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm PS20140419.1: Analysis and Regional Context Near Panguna, Papua New Guinea

Seismic swarm PS20140419.1 was recorded 55 km SSW of Panguna on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea. The sequence began at 01:04 on 19 April 2014 and concluded at 21:59 on 21 April 2014, spanning 68 hours and 54 minutes. During this interval, 28 earthquakes were registered, providing a clear example of clustered seismic activity in a tectonically complex zone.

The event list includes a mainshock of magnitude 7.5 at 13:28 on 19 April at 43 km depth, preceded by a magnitude 6.6 foreshock at 01:04. Subsequent events ranged from magnitude 5.0 to 6.2, with depths varying between 11 km and 82 km. Notable later shocks included a magnitude 6.2 at 00:15 on 20 April (20 km depth) and a magnitude 5.6 at 21:59 on 21 April (13 km depth). These occurrences illustrate typical swarm behavior, where multiple moderate-to-large events unfold without a single dominant aftershock sequence.

Papua New Guinea lies at the convergent boundary between the Australian and Pacific plates, within the Pacific Ring of Fire. Bougainville Island experiences deformation from subduction along the New Britain Trench and interactions involving the Solomon Sea microplate. This setting produces frequent moderate-to-great earthquakes, often at intermediate depths, due to slab subduction and crustal faulting.

Historical records since 2000 show seven swarms in the broader region, with prior episodes in 2000 (one swarm), 2001 (two swarms), and 2007 (three swarms). Strong earthquakes near Panguna since 2000 include the magnitude 7.9 event of 22 January 2017 (35 km WNW), the magnitude 7.1 of 7 May 2015 (143 km SW), the magnitude 7.5 of 19 April 2014 (70 km SW), and the magnitude 7.1 of 11 April 2014 (56 km WSW). These confirm persistent high seismicity, with the 2014 swarm directly associated with the listed magnitude 7.5 mainshock.

The 2014 swarm highlights how clustered activity can occur amid ongoing plate convergence, potentially linked to stress transfer along regional faults. Depths spanning crustal to upper-mantle levels align with the subduction geometry characteristic of the area.

References
USGS Earthquake Catalog (earthquake.usgs.gov)
Global CMT Catalog (globalcmt.org)
SeismoSight internal swarm classification data