| 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 4.8
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-04-04 10:48 UTC
|
158.4 km |
|
M 4.1
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-03-09 14:54 UTC
|
101.9 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-21 05:03 UTC
|
143.2 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-17 22:52 UTC
|
72.4 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-16 07:36 UTC
|
94.4 km |
|
M 4.5
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-15 08:53 UTC
|
145.4 km |
|
M 4.3
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-03 23:50 UTC
|
86.9 km |
|
M 4.6
Lae
Papua New Guinea · 2026-02-03 21:24 UTC
|
148.2 km |
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