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Papua New Guinea · Morobe

M5.2 Earthquake near Gabagiap, Morobe (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-09-14 22:06:54 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

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

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near Gabagiap, Morobe (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-14 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Gabagiap, Morobe (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-14 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 14, 2026 at 22:06 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near Gabagiap, Morobe (Papua New Guinea). At around 125 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 2 earthquakes, the strongest at M6.4.

Details

ID
2c159c1b7e3c62edbcb7e2bd0a6428c0fe954c4d
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
125.3 km
UTC time
2026-09-14 22:06:54 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
State
Morobe
City
Gabagiap
County
Markham District
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-6.28940, 146.46750
Temperature
25.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 125.3 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 125.3 km
Intermediate
125.3 km
125.3 km — deeper than the regional average (83.2 km)
Regional average: 83.2 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Tectonic context

Located on the South Bismarck Plate.
Near the boundary South Bismarck ↔ Woodlark · about 17 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Lae79.1 kmSE76'255
Port Moresby366.3 kmS283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Long Island
    Distance: 129 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 159 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Umboi
    Distance: 176 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Karkar
    Distance: 191 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'839 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ritter Island
    Distance: 201 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sakar
    Distance: 204 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 m ·Papua New Guinea

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Nadzab Tomodachi International AirportPapua New Guinea · LAE · AYNZ
    42.2 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-20

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

Comparison of seismic sources

3 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
EMSCM5.1110.0 km4.0 km
GFZM5.1134.0 km9.2 km
USGSM5.2125.3 km0.0 km

Morobe

Context for this earthquake

20 Sep 2025 – 20 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 37 Catalogue entries

Of 36 other entries for this area and period, 10 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#46
Earlier events M≥4156
Earlier events M≥562
Compared since2025-01-08

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.72025-10-07 11:05:19 UTC59.5 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC64.8 kmGabensis M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC62.3 kmEastern New Guinea region M6.72025-10-07 11:05:15 UTC64.5 kmPapua New Guinea [Land] M6.62025-10-07 11:05:18 UTC68.0 km26 km WSW of Lae, Papua New Guinea

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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