| Magnitude | 5.1 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 86.0 km |
| Coordinates | -6.757, 147.494 |
| UTC time | 1981-01-17 01:31:19.600 |
Earthquake details
Saturday, January 17, 1981 Earthquake
The earthquake hit Papua New Guinea on Saturday, January 17, 1981 at 01:31 UTC with a magnitude of 5.1. The closest known location in the current dataset is Lae (Papua New Guinea - PG), about 55.2 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 147.494 and latitude -6.757.
| Location | Lae |
| Country | Papua New Guinea (PG) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1981-01-17
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Lae | 55.2 km |
| Port Moresby | 305.2 km |
| Mount Hagen | 374.7 km |
| Merauke | 805.7 km |
| Jayapura | 886.5 km |
| Abepura | 891.0 km |
| Arawa | 894.7 km |
| Wamena | 992.2 km |
| Cairns | 1147.2 km |
| Nabire | 1382.4 km |
| Townsville | 1394.5 km |
| Honiara | 1404.5 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
|
M 4.8
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-04-04 10:48 UTC
|
25.1 km |
|
M 4.1
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-03-09 14:54 UTC
|
92.2 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-21 05:03 UTC
|
114.8 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-17 22:52 UTC
|
85.3 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-16 07:36 UTC
|
87.1 km |
|
M 4.5
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-15 08:53 UTC
|
129.3 km |
|
M 4.3
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-03 23:50 UTC
|
61.0 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-03 21:24 UTC
|
134.8 km |
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