M6.8 earthquake near Lae, Morobe Province
5295 d ago · 17 Apr 2012, 07:13 UTC 140 km N of Lae, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 140 km N of Lae, Papua New Guinea on 17 Apr 2012, 07:13 UTC at a depth of 198 km.
Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.
The nearest town in our records is Lae, about 140 km away in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
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