the trobriand islands earthquake and tsunami, 6 march 1895

An earthquake and tsunami struck the Trobriand Islands in March 1895 causing at least 30 deaths but until now the location and magnitude of the earthquake were quite uncertain. We have searched British and German colonial literature of the time to refine both parameters of Everingham’s original estimates. Our magnitude of 7.3±0.3 and location at (8.4°S, 150.1°E) compare well with Everingham’s magnitude 7-8 and (9°S, 151°E). Whilst the earthquake seems to be associated with the Trobriand Trench, very few others have occurred there since modern seismographs were deployed in the mid-1960s, certainly none of magnitude 7 or more, none with a thrust mechanism and none that have generated a destructive tsunami. We compare this earthquake and tsunami with the 1998 Sissano Lagoon earthquake, for which we have drawn an isoseismal map, and briefly discuss the implications for tectonic interpretation and hazard assessment.