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Papua New Guinea · Morobe

M4.9 Earthquake near Buang-Kowoneng, Morobe (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-01-29 07:54:49 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.

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About this earthquake

On January 29, 2026 at 07:54 UTC, a magnitude M4.9 earthquake occurred near Buang-Kowoneng, Morobe (Papua New Guinea). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 66 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

ID
2a33067ca35696629e112827b80bce65b0f72827
Magnitude
M4.9
Depth
66.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-29 07:54:49 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
State
Morobe
City
Buang-Kowoneng
County
Finschafen District
Village
Buang-Kowoneng
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-6.59730, 147.79800
Temperature
29.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 66 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 66 km
Shallow
66 km
66 km — close to 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

Volcanoes nearby

  • Umboi
    Distance: 112 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ritter Island
    Distance: 125 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sakar
    Distance: 136 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Langila Activity reported
    Distance: 138 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'330 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Long Island
    Distance: 162 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 225 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea

Morobe

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 40 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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Country statistics · Papua New Guinea

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

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