| Magnitude | 5.5 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 103.0 km |
| Coordinates | -5.882, 146.904 |
| UTC time | 1978-10-23 18:12:27.100 |
Earthquake details
Monday, October 23, 1978 Earthquake
The earthquake hit Papua New Guinea on Monday, October 23, 1978 at 18:12 UTC with a magnitude of 5.5. The closest known location in the current dataset is Lae (Papua New Guinea - PG), about 94.2 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 146.904 and latitude -5.882.
| Location | Lae |
| Country | Papua New Guinea (PG) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1978-10-23
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Lae | 94.2 km |
| Mount Hagen | 296.1 km |
| Port Moresby | 401.1 km |
| Merauke | 774.5 km |
| Jayapura | 781.3 km |
| Abepura | 786.4 km |
| Wamena | 904.4 km |
| Arawa | 959.6 km |
| Cairns | 1235.4 km |
| Nabire | 1295.9 km |
| Townsville | 1490.0 km |
| Honiara | 1492.3 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
M 5.0
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-05-30 22:45 UTC
168.7 km
M 4.8
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-05-22 19:32 UTC
100.5 km
M 5.0
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-05-17 22:58 UTC
97.8 km
M 4.8
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-04-04 10:48 UTC
108.7 km
M 4.1
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-03-09 14:54 UTC
27.6 km
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-21 05:03 UTC
30.3 km
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-17 22:52 UTC
60.9 km
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-16 07:36 UTC
36.9 km
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