M6.5 earthquake near Arawa, Bougainville
23993 d ago · 6 Feb 1961, 21:45 UTC 54 km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
What happened
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 54 km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea on 6 Feb 1961, 21:45 UTC at a depth of 45 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 65 km away in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
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