M6.1 earthquake near Arawa, Bougainville
19709 d ago · 30 Oct 1972, 16:48 UTC 74 km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 74 km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea on 30 Oct 1972, 16:48 UTC at a depth of 49 km.
Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.
The nearest town in our records is Arawa, about 84 km away in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
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