| Magnitude | 6.3 |
| Alert | Severe |
| Depth | 35.0 km |
| Coordinates | -6.027, 149.247 |
| UTC time | 1940-08-20 17:29:51.690 |
Earthquake details
Tuesday, August 20, 1940 Earthquake
The earthquake hit Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, August 20, 1940 at 17:29 UTC with a magnitude of 6.3. The closest known location in the current dataset is Lae (Papua New Guinea - PG), about 260.8 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 149.247 and latitude -6.027.
| Location | Lae |
| Country | Papua New Guinea (PG) |
| Severity | Severe |
Earthquake map 1940-08-20
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Lae | 260.8 km |
| Port Moresby | 448.3 km |
| Mount Hagen | 555.7 km |
| Arawa | 699.8 km |
| Merauke | 1014.2 km |
| Jayapura | 1023.4 km |
| Abepura | 1029.5 km |
| Wamena | 1162.0 km |
| Honiara | 1239.8 km |
| Cairns | 1270.9 km |
| Townsville | 1497.3 km |
| Nabire | 1553.6 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
M 5.0
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-05-17 22:58 UTC
190.2 km
M 4.8
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-04-04 10:48 UTC
234.4 km
M 4.1
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-03-09 14:54 UTC
236.1 km
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-21 05:03 UTC
280.3 km
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-17 22:52 UTC
199.5 km
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-16 07:36 UTC
226.0 km
M 4.5
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-15 08:53 UTC
288.4 km
M 4.3
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-03 23:50 UTC
168.6 km
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