| 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 4.3
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-08-23 10:44 UTC
96.5 km
M 4.7
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-07-22 10:58 UTC
95.0 km
M 5.1
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-06-28 02:59 UTC
45.2 km
M 4.3
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-06-22 18:24 UTC
84.3 km
M 5.0
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-05-30 22:45 UTC
66.0 km
M 4.3
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-05-27 00:34 UTC
80.1 km
M 4.0
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-05-23 14:35 UTC
82.5 km
M 4.4
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-05-23 03:51 UTC
45.3 km
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