M5.1 earthquake near Popondetta, Oro Province

What happened

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 35 km SSW of Popondetta, Papua New Guinea on 17 Jan 2023, 21:42 UTC at a depth of 22 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Popondetta, about 35 km away in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea.