117 km N of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake — a major event — struck near 117 km N of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea on December 22, 1997, at a intermediate-depth depth of about 179 km. An earthquake this size would have been felt strongly across the surrounding region; intermediate-depth events inside a subducting slab are often felt over a wide area but do less surface damage than shallow quakes. Casualties, damage and the recovery depend on local building standards, population and distance from the epicentre — the news coverage, references and photos below capture what happened on the ground.