Seismic Activity and Geological Context of the Kokopo Region, Papua New Guinea

The Kokopo area on the Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain lies within one of the most tectonically active zones on Earth. Situated near the boundary between the South Bismarck and Solomon Sea plates, the region experiences frequent earthquakes driven by subduction along the New Britain Trench. This convergence produces both shallow crustal events and deeper intraslab seismicity, shaping the island’s volcanic arcs and rugged topography.

On 14 May 2019 at 12:58 local time, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 48 km northeast of Kokopo at a depth of 10 km. The event originated from thrust faulting associated with the plate boundary and was felt strongly across East New Britain Province. Although the shallow depth amplified ground shaking, damage remained limited outside the immediate epicentral area because of low population density and relatively robust building practices in the provincial capital.

Two other significant earthquakes have occurred nearby since 2000. A magnitude 7.5 event on 29 March 2015, centered 53 km southeast of Kokopo, produced similar thrust mechanisms and caused localized landslides. The magnitude 8.0 New Ireland earthquake of 16 November 2000, located 48 km from the 2019 epicenter, remains the largest recent event in the sequence. It triggered a minor tsunami and widespread liquefaction along the northern coast of New Ireland.

These earthquakes illustrate the persistent seismic hazard along the New Britain subduction zone. Historical records document recurring great earthquakes every few decades, consistent with the high convergence rate of approximately 70–100 mm per year. Ongoing monitoring by regional seismic networks helps refine hazard models and supports tsunami early-warning systems for coastal communities.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog
Global CMT Project
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center archives