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Papua New Guinea · East New Britain

M4.9 Earthquake near East New Britain (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-10-14 06:27:06 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M4.9
Depth
35.0 km
Source
USGS

East New Britain · East New Britain

Country overview

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About this earthquake

On October 14, 2026 at 06:27 UTC, a magnitude M4.9 earthquake occurred near East New Britain (Papua New Guinea). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 35 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. 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: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.9.

Details

ID
2639f587a4be4dc4e240dacd2273bd6fa04f9f1a
Magnitude
M4.9
Depth
35.0 km
UTC time
2026-10-14 06:27:06 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
State
East New Britain
City
East New Britain
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-5.44300, 152.26170
Temperature
27.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 35 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 35 km
Shallow
35 km
35 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

Tectonic context

Located on the South Bismarck Plate.
Near the boundary South Bismarck ↔ Solomon Sea · about 33 km away

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ulawun
    Distance: 112 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bamus
    Distance: 117 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 129 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 133 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 135 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sulu Range
    Distance: 146 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.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · Papua New Guinea

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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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