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Papua New Guinea · East New Britain

M4.5 Earthquake near Tagul, East New Britain (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-10-20 14:20:49 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.5 earthquake was recorded near Tagul, East New Britain (Papua New Guinea) on October 20, 2026 at 14:20 UTC. With a focal depth of about 57 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.

Details

ID
238de7f00e9165c5eeec614fdd035c0edf9bf20b
Magnitude
M4.5
Depth
57.4 km
UTC time
2026-10-20 14:20:49 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
State
East New Britain
City
Tagul
County
Pomio District
Village
Tagul
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-5.34590, 152.14480
Temperature
25.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 57.4 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 57.4 km
Shallow
57.4 km
57.4 km — shallower than the regional average (80.5 km)
Regional average: 80.5 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 South Bismarck ↔ Solomon Sea · about 47 km away

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ulawun
    Distance: 96 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bamus
    Distance: 103 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 116 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 119 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 122 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sulu Range
    Distance: 134 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 610 m ·Papua New Guinea

East New Britain

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 33 Catalogue entries

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

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