| Magnitude | 5.9 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 33.0 km |
| Coordinates | -6.042, 149.867 |
| UTC time | 1997-12-15 10:28:06.060 |
Earthquake details
Monday, December 15, 1997 Earthquake
The earthquake hit Papua New Guinea on Monday, December 15, 1997 at 10:28 UTC with a magnitude of 5.9. The closest known location in the current dataset is Lae (Papua New Guinea - PG), about 326.5 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 149.867 and latitude -6.042.
| Location | Lae |
| Country | Papua New Guinea (PG) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1997-12-15
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Lae | 326.5 km |
| Port Moresby | 485.8 km |
| Mount Hagen | 624.4 km |
| Arawa | 631.1 km |
| Merauke | 1079.8 km |
| Jayapura | 1087.9 km |
| Abepura | 1094.3 km |
| Honiara | 1174.3 km |
| Wamena | 1229.9 km |
| Cairns | 1291.0 km |
| Townsville | 1509.0 km |
| Nabire | 1621.4 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
|
298.8 km |
|
M 4.1
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-03-09 14:54 UTC
|
304.7 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-21 05:03 UTC
|
348.9 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-17 22:52 UTC
|
268.1 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-16 07:36 UTC
|
294.6 km |
|
M 4.5
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-15 08:53 UTC
|
357.0 km |
|
M 4.3
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-03 23:50 UTC
|
236.4 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-03 21:24 UTC
|
361.4 km |
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