M7.8 earthquake near Arawa, Bougainville
32037 d ago · 30 Jan 1939, 02:18 UTC 85 km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck 85 km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea on 30 Jan 1939, 02:18 UTC at a depth of 35 km.
Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.
The nearest town in our records is Arawa, about 97 km away in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
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