190 km ENE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake — a major event — struck near 190 km ENE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea on July 7, 2013, at a deep-focus depth of about 386 km. An earthquake this size would have been felt strongly across the surrounding region; deep-focus earthquakes rarely cause major surface damage despite their size. A tsunami threat was flagged for this event — large, shallow quakes beneath or near the ocean can lift the seafloor and generate destructive waves. Casualties, damage and the recovery depend on local building standards, population and distance from the epicentre — the news coverage, references and photos below capture what happened on the ground.