M6.2 earthquake - 140 km NE of Alotau, Papua New Guinea

What happened

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 140 km NE of Alotau, Papua New Guinea on 6 Jan 1970, 05:35 UTC at a depth of 15 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.