M7.9 earthquake near Biak, Papua
17201 d ago · 12 Sept 1979, 05:17 UTC 55 km S of Biak, Indonesia
What happened
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck 55 km S of Biak, Indonesia on 12 Sept 1979, 05:17 UTC at a depth of 5 km.
Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.
The nearest town in our records is Biak, about 56 km away in Papua, Indonesia.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
Community
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