The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake at a depth of 62.6 km, beneath Chambri Lake in East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea, slightly before 4.05 am Local time on Monday 3 April 2023 (slightly before 6.05 pm on Sunday 2 April GMT). Four people are reported to have died following the event, including a mother and her young child, with 17 people injured and damage to homes in 23 villages, as well as a series of landslide events, although the number of casualties could be higher, due to the remote nature of the area affected.
The north coast of East Sepik Province is located on the southern margin of the North Bismarck Plate, close to its boundary with the Australian Plate, which underlies most of the Papuan mainland. The North Bismarck Plate is being subducted beneath the Australian Plate along the New Guinea Trench on the north coast of the island. This is not a smooth process, with the rocks sticking together, then moving sharply as the pressure builds up enough to break them apart, which can also lead to Earthquakes in the region.
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