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Papua New Guinea · Southern Highlands

M5.2 Earthquake near Tiripi, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-08-05 19:46:27 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

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

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near Tiripi, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-08-05 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Tiripi, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-08-05 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On August 5, 2026 at 19:46 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near Tiripi, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 2 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.9.

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 (80.7 km)
Regional average: 80.7 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

Estimated impact

1 Felt reports · max reported intensity 2.2

Tectonic context

Located on the Woodlark Plate.
Near the boundary Woodlark ↔ Australia · about 16 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Mendi46.6 kmNW26'252
Merauke438.2 kmSW116'864

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Manam
    Distance: 302 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'807 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Karkar
    Distance: 315 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'839 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Kadovar
    Distance: 334 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 365 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bam
    Distance: 341 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 685 m ·Last eruption: 1960 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Blup Blup
    Distance: 346 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 402 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 366 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Mendi AirportPapua New Guinea · MDU · AYMN
    46.5 kmStraight-line distance
  • Moro AirportPapua New Guinea · MXH · AYMR
    69.3 kmStraight-line distance
  • Mount Hagen Kagamuga AirportPapua New Guinea · HGU · AYMH
    92.1 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours0
First 72 hours0
Strongest subsequent eventM5.1
M5.12026-08-15 11:10:56 UTC36.7 kmNipa District

Comparison of seismic sources

4 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.1 to M5.2.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
USGSM5.210.0 km0.0 km
GFZM5.210.0 km4.9 km
RESIFM5.110.0 km13.4 km
EMSCM5.235.0 km9.7 km

Papua New Guinea

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 307 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#3
Earlier events M≥412
Earlier events M≥54
Compared since2025-01-26

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.62026-01-26 17:06:22 UTC37.4 kmBaibu M5.42026-01-26 17:06:23 UTC24.1 kmNipa District M5.02026-01-03 01:26:40 UTC28.7 km33 km SSW of Mendi, Papua New Guinea M5.02026-01-03 01:26:40 UTC21.2 kmNew Guinea, Papua New Guinea M4.92026-08-02 05:38:58 UTC28.9 kmNipa District

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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