M6.5 earthquake near Lae, Morobe Province
10786 d ago · 5 Apr 1997, 12:23 UTC 49 km W of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 49 km W of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea on 5 Apr 1997, 12:23 UTC at a depth of 69 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 Lae, about 53 km away in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
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