| Magnitude | 7.2 |
| Alert | Extreme |
| Depth | 179.3 km |
| Coordinates | -5.495, 147.867 |
| UTC time | 1997-12-22 02:05:50.080 |
Earthquake details
Monday, December 22, 1997 Earthquake
The earthquake hit Papua New Guinea on Monday, December 22, 1997 at 02:05 UTC with a magnitude of 7.2. The closest known location in the current dataset is Lae (Papua New Guinea - PG), about 167.3 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 147.867 and latitude -5.495.
| Location | Lae |
| Country | Papua New Guinea (PG) |
| Severity | Extreme |
Earthquake map 1997-12-22
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Lae | 167.3 km |
| Mount Hagen | 404.8 km |
| Port Moresby | 450.3 km |
| Arawa | 856.5 km |
| Jayapura | 859.5 km |
| Abepura | 865.6 km |
| Merauke | 889.5 km |
| Wamena | 1001.5 km |
| Cairns | 1292.7 km |
| Nabire | 1392.8 km |
| Honiara | 1403.6 km |
| Townsville | 1537.3 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
M 5.2
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-10-25 03:29 UTC
108.2 km
M 4.9
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-10-04 01:38 UTC
146.3 km
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-10-03 17:24 UTC
98.9 km
M 5.3
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-09-24 23:30 UTC
84.1 km
M 5.2
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-09-14 22:06 UTC
178.2 km
M 4.3
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-08-23 10:44 UTC
139.9 km
M 4.7
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-07-22 10:58 UTC
72.4 km
M 5.1
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-06-28 02:59 UTC
103.5 km
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