M6.8 earthquake near Arawa, Bougainville
10959 d ago · 14 Oct 1996, 23:26 UTC 90 km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 90 km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea on 14 Oct 1996, 23:26 UTC at a depth of 24 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 100 km away in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
Community
Did you feel it?
Nearby in the last 30 days
- 4.9
M4.9 earthquake - 121 km S of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
35 km deep
Moderate - 4.7
M4.7 earthquake - 128 km S of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
10 km deep
Moderate - 4.6
M4.6 earthquake - 75 km E of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
10 km deep
Moderate - 6.0
M6.0 earthquake - 126 km S of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
21 km deep
Major - 5.1
M5.1 earthquake - 123 km S of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
37 km deep
Strong - 5.3
M5.3 earthquake - 129 km S of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
30 km deep
Strong - 6.2
M6.2 earthquake - 79 km SSE of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
54 km deep
Major - 4.7
M4.7 earthquake - 121 km S of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
51 km deep
Moderate - 4.9
M4.9 earthquake - 55 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
21 km deep
Moderate - 4.8
M4.8 earthquake - 141 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
135 km deep
Moderate