Magnitude
M5.6
- Depth
- 57.8 km
- Source
- USGS
New Ireland · Namatanai District
Country overviewPapua New Guinea · New Ireland
M5.6 Earthquake near Namatanai District, New Ireland (Papua New Guinea)
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:
Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.
Map
About this earthquake
A magnitude M5.6 earthquake was recorded near Namatanai District, New Ireland (Papua New Guinea) on September 26, 2026 at 14:08 UTC. With a focal depth of about 58 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.
The event was recorded by USGS. Papua New Guinea: 3 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M5.8.
Details
ID
329a3a71187948e5fb9ccdcdc6d09d68fa4adf70
Magnitude
M5.6
Depth
57.8 km
UTC time
2026-09-26 14:08:18 UTC
Local time
—
Country
State
City
County
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-4.69520,
152.83830
Temperature
20.5°C
Depth profile
Shallow
57.8 km
57.8 km — shallower than the regional average (82.5 km)
Regional average: 82.5 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
Felt reports
1felt reports at EMSC / LastQuake
Voluntary reports of feeling this earthquake. The count is not an intensity measurement and is not added to USGS DYFI reports.
Data updated: Sep 26, 2026, 2:13 PM UTC · Last checked: Sep 26, 2026, 11:22 PM UTC
Source: EMSC / LastQuake
Estimated impact
Green
No or minimal impact expected.
Estimated population exposed
1
Felt reports · max reported intensity 2
Ground shaking
IV
Light · Intensity (MMI) IV
Felt by many, no damage.
Tectonic context
Located on the South Bismarck Plate.
Near the boundary North Bismarck ↔ South Bismarck · about 14 km away
Nearby population centers
Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.
PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Kokopo69.4 kmNW26'273
Port Moresby820.6 kmSW283'733
GeoNames · CC BY 4.0
Volcanoes nearby
Radius · 100 km
Nearby infrastructure
Airports
- Tokua Airport64.3 kmStraight-line distance
Papua New Guinea · RAB · AYTK
Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-26
This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates
Subsequent earthquakes nearby
Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.
First 6 hours0
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM5.2
Comparison of seismic sources
5 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.5 to M5.8.
Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.
SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
GFZM5.610.0 km19.7 km
USGSM5.657.8 km0.0 km
EMSCM5.658.0 km4.9 km
INGVM5.868.0 km11.6 km
RESIFM5.594.2 km14.9 km
New Ireland
Context for this earthquake
26 Sep 2025 – 26 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 32 Catalogue entries
Of 31 other entries for this area and period, 0 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.
Open seismic profileHistorical context nearby
Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.
Magnitude rank#12
Earlier events M≥4149
Earlier events M≥570
Compared since2025-01-01
The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.
Strongest earlier events
Historic earthquake map · Papua New Guinea
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
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.
Stats (last 24h)
Global (24h)
385
Country (24h)
Papua New Guinea
3