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Papua New Guinea · West New Britain

M5.3 Earthquake near West New Britain (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-09-24 12:30:09 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
Source
RESIF

West New Britain · West New Britain

Country overview

Map

M5.3 Earthquake near West New Britain (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-24 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near West New Britain (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-24 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 24, 2026 at 12:30 UTC, a magnitude M5.3 earthquake occurred near West New Britain (Papua New Guinea). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by RESIF. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 3 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.8.

Details

ID
01ec8463e2c9d060cafced30b8f585387b9958bc
Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-24 12:30:09 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
State
West New Britain
City
West New Britain
Source
resif
Coordinates
-4.48900, 148.34125
Temperature
27.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
10 km — shallower than the regional average (82.3 km)
Regional average: 82.3 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Tectonic context

Located on the South Bismarck Plate.
Near the boundary North Bismarck ↔ South Bismarck · about 135 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Kimbe231.4 kmSE18'847
Port Moresby570.0 kmS283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Sakar
    Distance: 106 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Langila Activity reported
    Distance: 116 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'330 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ritter Island
    Distance: 117 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Umboi
    Distance: 132 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Long Island
    Distance: 165 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Titan Ridge
    Distance: 174 km ·Fissure vent ·Elevation: -1'300 m ·Last eruption: 1972 ·Papua New Guinea

West New Britain

Context for this earthquake

27 Sep 2025 – 27 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 31 Catalogue entries

Of 30 other entries for this area and period, 3 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#6
Earlier events M≥420
Earlier events M≥59
Compared since2025-01-21

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M6.92026-07-13 08:53:28 UTC149.4 kmManus M5.72026-01-05 00:41:48 UTC102.5 kmEvent of magnitude 5.7, near of Lae (Monde) M5.72026-04-30 13:27:01 UTC124.4 kmManus M5.52026-01-05 00:42:04 UTC148.4 kmPapua New Guinea Region M5.32026-04-17 21:46:19 UTC116.1 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea

Historic earthquake map · Papua New Guinea

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Papua New Guinea

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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