January 19, 1981 Earthquake: Jayawijaya Mts, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia

Name: January 19, 1981 Earthquake: Jayawijaya Mts, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia
Start: 1981-01-19
Location: Jayawijaya Mts, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia

January 19, 1981 · M6.7 · 305 deaths · $5 million

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Jayawijaya Mts, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia on January 19, 1981 at 15:11:01 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 305 people.

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: January 19, 1981
Time: 15:11:01 UTC
Place: Jayawijaya Mts, Irian Jaya, New Guinea, Indonesia
Magnitude: 6.7 (Ms)
Focal depth: 33 km (21 mi)
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 4.576° S, 139.232° E
Country: Indonesia

The toll

Deaths: 305
Injuries: Some (about 51 to 100)
Damage: $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.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

305 people killed, some injured, and about 1,000 missing. Thrust fault. MAG. 6.8 MS (PAS), 6.7 MB (PAS),

6.7 MS (BRK). (reference #1053)

1981, Jan 22 [probably refers to Jan 19, 1981 event]. Southeast Asia. 306 killed, $5 million damage. (reference #1250)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1981 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1981 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 4909.