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Papua New Guinea · Southern Highlands

M4.9 Earthquake near Nipa District, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-08-02 05:38:58 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.

Magnitude
M4.9
Depth
10.0 km
Source
USGS

Southern Highlands · Nipa District

Country overview

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.9 earthquake was recorded near Nipa District, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea) on August 2, 2026 at 05:38 UTC. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude are clearly felt; minor damage to vulnerable buildings is possible.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
10 km — shallower than the regional average (83.2 km)
Regional average: 83.2 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 Woodlark Plate.
Near the boundary Woodlark ↔ Australia · about 10 km away

Volcanoes nearby

  • Manam
    Distance: 311 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'807 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Karkar
    Distance: 333 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'839 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Kadovar
    Distance: 337 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 365 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bam
    Distance: 346 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 685 m ·Last eruption: 1960 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Blup Blup
    Distance: 348 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 402 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 389 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Mendi AirportPapua New Guinea · MDU · AYMN
    36.8 kmStraight-line distance
  • Moro AirportPapua New Guinea · MXH · AYMR
    40.5 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-21

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

Papua New Guinea

Context for this earthquake

21 Sep 2025 – 21 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 301 Catalogue entries

Of 300 other entries for this area and period, 117 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

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.

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
641
Country (24h)
Papua New Guinea
0
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