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Papua New Guinea · East New Britain

M5.2 Earthquake near Pomio District, East New Britain (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-09-24 12:29:59 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

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

Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
95.6 km
Source
USGS

East New Britain · Pomio District

Country overview

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near Pomio District, East New Britain (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-24 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Pomio District, East New Britain (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-24 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 24, 2026 at 12:29 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near Pomio District, East New Britain (Papua New Guinea). The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 96 km. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS. Papua New Guinea: 3 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M5.8.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 95.6 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 95.6 km
Intermediate
95.6 km
95.6 km — close to the regional average (82.3 km)
Regional average: 82.3 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 ↔ Solomon Sea · about 78 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Kokopo140.8 kmNE26'273
Port Moresby662.8 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Bamus
    Distance: 33 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ulawun
    Distance: 37 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 43 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 60 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sulu Range
    Distance: 63 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 610 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolo
    Distance: 110 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 796 m ·Papua New Guinea

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM5.1
M5.12026-09-24 18:00:47 UTC117.0 kmMarambu

Comparison of seismic sources

3 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.2 to M5.3.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
EMSCM5.295.6 km0.0 km
USGSM5.295.6 km0.0 km
GFZM5.3108.0 km4.1 km

East New Britain

Context for this earthquake

27 Sep 2025 – 27 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 33 Catalogue entries

Of 32 other entries for this area and period, 7 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#14
Earlier events M≥4243
Earlier events M≥583
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.92025-04-04 20:04:38 UTC111.8 km181 km ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea M6.52025-04-04 20:04:39 UTC104.0 km194 km ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea M5.82025-06-23 03:17:13 UTC116.2 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M5.72025-12-21 05:25:23 UTC61.5 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M5.62026-06-30 14:41:12 UTC65.0 kmKerongkorona

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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