M5.3 earthquake near Arawa, Bougainville
3590 d ago · 17 Dec 2016, 12:27 UTC 135 km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 135 km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea on 17 Dec 2016, 12:27 UTC at a depth of 49 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 Arawa, about 144 km away in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:47 UTC
Community
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