M6.5 earthquake - 144 km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
19687 d ago · 21 Nov 1972, 03:59 UTC 144 km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 144 km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea on 21 Nov 1972, 03:59 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.
The nearest town in our records is Arawa, about 155 km away in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
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