17 July 1998, 0849 UTC, Mw 7.0
8 September 2002, 1844 UTC, Mw 7.6
The 17 July 1998 Mw 7.0 earthquake near Aitape off the northwest coast ofPapua New Guinea (PNG) caused a submarine landslide that generated a series of three catastrophic tsunami waves. The 1998 tsunami razed entire villages ont he north coast of PNG. At least 1,636 people were killed and 1,000 were injured. Field surveys confirmed wave heights of 10-15 m on a 25-km stretch of coastline from Sisano to Teles.
On 8 September 2002 an Mw 7.6 earthquake occurred on the northwest coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG) located 60 km southeast of the 1998 PNG earthquake. The earthquake caused 4 deaths and 70 injuries on Kairiru and Mushu Islands and in the Wewak area. Within 15 minutes of the 2002 earthquake a moderate tsunami was generated that affected 300 km of the northern PNG coast from Sissano Lagoon to Murik Lakes. The wave heights were 1.5 m to a maximum of 4 to 5 m in the bays of the outer islands.
