M5.9 earthquake near Lae, Morobe Province
3568 d ago · 8 Jan 2017, 08:52 UTC 54 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 54 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea on 8 Jan 2017, 08:52 UTC at a depth of 61 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 Lae, about 76 km away in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:47 UTC
Community
Did you feel it?
Nearby in the last 30 days
- 4.4
M4.4 earthquake near Kimbe, West New Britain Province
57 km deep
Moderate Forest fires in Papua New Guinea
green alert
Light- 4.9
M4.9 earthquake - 21 km NE of Lae, Papua New Guinea
94 km deep
Moderate - 4.6
M4.6 earthquake - 76 km NNE of Lae, Papua New Guinea
82 km deep
Moderate - 5.3
M5.3 earthquake - 69 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
69 km deep
Strong Wildfire in Papua New Guinea
Light- 4.5
M4.5 earthquake - 50 km ESE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
35 km deep
Moderate Wildfire in Papua New Guinea
Light- 5.4
M5.4 earthquake - 60 km NE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea
109 km deep
Strong - 6.4
M6.4 earthquake - 50 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea
113 km deep
Major