25 km SSE of Wau, Papua New Guinea

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake — a major event — struck near 25 km SSE of Wau, Papua New Guinea on December 14, 2011, at a intermediate-depth depth of about 135 km. An earthquake this size would have been felt strongly across the surrounding region; intermediate-depth events inside a subducting slab are often felt over a wide area but do less surface damage than shallow quakes. 105 people submitted "Did You Feel It?" shaking reports to the USGS. 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.