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Papua New Guinea

M5.0 Earthquake near Solomon Islands (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2025-12-03 17:36:43 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
M5.0
Depth
10.0 km
Source
GFZ

Autonomous Region of Bougainville

Country overview

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near Solomon Islands (Papua New Guinea) · 2025-12-03 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near Solomon Islands (Papua New Guinea) · 2025-12-03 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 3, 2025 at 17:36 UTC, a magnitude M5.0 earthquake occurred near Solomon Islands (Papua New Guinea). With a focal depth of about 10 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 GFZ.

Details

ID
3faead2d276bb83efd9d346dc928cf0ba05aebdc
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-03 17:36:43 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
City
Autonomous Region of Bougainville
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-4.58000, 154.24000
Temperature
28.1°C

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 (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

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Kokopo220.1 kmW26'273
Port Moresby953.0 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Balbi
    Distance: 171 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'715 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Billy Mitchell
    Distance: 200 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'544 m ·Last eruption: 1580 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bagana
    Distance: 203 km ·Lava cone ·Elevation: 1'855 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 230 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Tavui
    Distance: 231 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 200 m ·Last eruption: -4946 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Takuan Group
    Distance: 256 km ·Compound ·Elevation: 2'210 m ·Papua New Guinea

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

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

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours3
First 72 hours3
Strongest subsequent eventM5.1
M4.82025-12-04 12:16:51 UTC99.9 km177 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea M4.72025-12-04 12:16:51 UTC92.6 kmSolomon Islands M4.82025-12-04 12:16:51 UTC96.5 kmBOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. M4.82025-12-18 22:35:27 UTC146.6 kmSolomon Islands M5.12025-12-26 23:02:23 UTC101.3 kmNew Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea M5.12025-12-26 23:02:25 UTC115.2 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G.

Papua New Guinea

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 307 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

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#20
Earlier events M≥440
Earlier events M≥520
Compared since2025-01-12

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.22025-04-12 03:47:13 UTC112.4 km M6.12025-09-16 16:59:52 UTC106.4 kmPapua New Guinea [Sea] M6.12025-04-12 03:47:09 UTC121.0 km105 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M6.02025-09-16 16:59:51 UTC112.7 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M6.02025-09-16 16:59:46 UTC106.5 kmNew Ireland Region, 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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