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Papua New Guinea · New Ireland

M4.9 Earthquake near Namatanai District, New Ireland (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-09-26 21:49:28 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded Content updated:

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

Magnitude
M4.9
Depth
63.6 km
Source
USGS

New Ireland · Namatanai District

Country overview

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.9 earthquake was recorded near Namatanai District, New Ireland (Papua New Guinea) on September 26, 2026 at 21:49 UTC. With a focal depth of about 64 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 3 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.8.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 63.6 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 63.6 km
Shallow
63.6 km
63.6 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 4 km away

Volcanoes nearby

  • Rabaul
    Distance: 90 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Tavui
    Distance: 97 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 200 m ·Last eruption: -4946 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ulawun
    Distance: 181 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 196 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bamus
    Distance: 196 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 215 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea

New Ireland

Context for this earthquake

27 Sep 2025 – 26 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 33 Catalogue entries

Of 32 other entries for this area and period, 18 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · Papua New Guinea

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Country statistics · Papua New Guinea

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

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