M5.6 earthquake near Lae, Morobe Province
3285 d ago · 18 Oct 2017, 16:44 UTC 130 km N of Lae, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 130 km N of Lae, Papua New Guinea on 18 Oct 2017, 16:44 UTC at a depth of 193 km.
Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.
The nearest town in our records is Lae, about 130 km away in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:47 UTC
Community
Did you feel it?
Nearby in the last 30 days
- 4.4
M4.4 earthquake near Kimbe, West New Britain Province
57 km deep
Moderate Forest fires in Papua New Guinea
green alert
Light- 4.6
M4.6 earthquake - 48 km SSW of Angoram, Papua New Guinea
102 km deep
Moderate - 4.9
M4.9 earthquake - 21 km NE of Lae, Papua New Guinea
94 km deep
Moderate - 4.6
M4.6 earthquake - 76 km NNE of Lae, Papua New Guinea
82 km deep
Moderate - 5.3
M5.3 earthquake - 69 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
69 km deep
Strong Wildfire in Papua New Guinea
Light- 4.5
M4.5 earthquake - 50 km ESE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
35 km deep
Moderate Wildfire in Papua New Guinea
Light- 5.4
M5.4 earthquake - 60 km NE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea
109 km deep
Strong