Significant earthquakes of 1979

June 25, 1979 Earthquake: E, MT Hagen, Papua New Guinea

June 25, 1979 · M6.2

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck E, MT Hagen, Papua New Guinea on June 25, 1979 at 05:29:05 UTC, 189 km below the surface.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
June 25, 1979
Time
05:29:05 UTC
Place
E, MT Hagen, Papua New Guinea
Magnitude
6.2 (mb)
Focal depth
189 km (117 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
4.980° S, 145.577° E

The toll

Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1979The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1979Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4837.