Location:

M 7.5 70 km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

Magnitude:

7.5

Time:

19 Apr 2014 13:28:00

Depth:

43.3

M 7.0+:

M 7.9; 35 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea; (22 Jan 2017) (58km from the earthquake)
M 7.1; 143 km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea; (7 May 2015) (72km from the earthquake)
M 7.1; 56 km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea; (11 Apr 2014) (18km from the earthquake)

There are 11 swarms found nearby.

2001

PS20010530.1(45.2km)

29 May

5 hours

5 earthquakes

2007

PS20070217.1(99.6km)

17 Feb

4 hours

7 earthquakes

PS20070401.2(33.9km)

1 Apr

2 days 12 hours

62 earthquakes

2014

PS20140411.1(22.6km)

11 Apr

2 days 6 hours

19 earthquakes

PS20140419.1(38.7km)

19 Apr

2 days 20 hours

28 earthquakes

PS20140507.1(37.0km)

6 May

22 hours

5 earthquakes

PS20141207.1(66.7km)

7 Dec

1 day 11 hours

11 earthquakes

PS20141209.1(89.0km)

9 Dec

2 hours

5 earthquakes

2015

PS20150507.1(86.8km)

7 May

19 hours

10 earthquakes

2016

PS20161217.1(90.7km)

17 Dec

1 day 10 hours

29 earthquakes

2020

PS20201229.1(52.5km)

28 Dec

6 hours

5 earthquakes

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Seismic Activity Near Panguna, Papua New Guinea

The M7.5 earthquake that struck 70 km southwest of Panguna on 19 April 2014 at 13:28 UTC highlighted the intense seismic character of the region. The event occurred at a depth of 43.3 km and formed part of a sequence of strong earthquakes recorded since 2000. Panguna lies on Bougainville Island within Papua New Guinea’s tectonically active zone. The island sits at the boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates, where oblique convergence and subduction drive frequent seismicity. Crustal deformation along the Solomon Sea plate margin produces both shallow and intermediate-depth events, consistent with the 43.3 km focal depth of the 2014 mainshock. Since 1 January 2000 the area has experienced several M7+ earthquakes within 150 km of Panguna:

M7.9 on 22 January 2017, 35 km west-northwest of Panguna
M7.1 on 7 May 2015, 143 km southwest of Panguna
M7.5 on 19 April 2014, 70 km southwest of Panguna
M7.1 on 11 April 2014, 56 km west-southwest of Panguna These events cluster along the same plate-boundary segment, underscoring persistent strain accumulation and release. The short intervals between the April 2014 pair and the subsequent 2015 and 2017 shocks illustrate the region’s capacity for energetic aftershock sequences and triggered activity. Historical records document similar large earthquakes throughout the twentieth century, reflecting the long-term tectonic regime. Bougainville’s geology features volcanic arcs and ophiolitic complexes shaped by millions of years of subduction, creating a landscape prone to both seismic and volcanic hazards. Ongoing monitoring by regional seismic networks continues to track microseismicity and deformation, providing data essential for refining hazard assessments in this densely populated mining district. References
USGS Earthquake Catalog (events 2000–2017)
Global CMT Catalog
Papua New Guinea Geological Survey regional tectonic summaries