M6.6 earthquake near Kokopo, East New Britain Province
19887 d ago · 5 May 1972, 23:16 UTC 39 km ENE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 39 km ENE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea on 5 May 1972, 23:16 UTC at a depth of 27 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 Kokopo, about 40 km away in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
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