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M6.6 Depth: 99.4 km

M6.6 Earthquake near 26 km WSW of Lae, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2025-10-07 11:05:18 UTC Local time: —

About this earthquake

On October 7, 2025 at 11:05 UTC, a magnitude M6.6 earthquake occurred near 26 km WSW of Lae, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea). At around 99 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Earthquakes of this magnitude can cause significant damage in populated areas.

The event was recorded by USGS. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 4 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.0.

Details

Magnitude
M6.6
Depth
99.4 km
UTC time
2025-10-07 11:05:18 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
City
Morobe
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-6.78370, 146.76700
Temperature
5.7°C

Map

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 99.4 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 99.4 km
Intermediate
99.4 km
99.4 km — close to the regional average (85 km)
Regional average: 85 km
Why depth matters

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

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Lae26.2 kmE76'255
Port Moresby302.5 kmS283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Long Island
    Distance: 168 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Umboi
    Distance: 182 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ritter Island
    Distance: 205 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sakar
    Distance: 211 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 211 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Langila
    Distance: 230 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'330 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 250 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM6.7
M6.72025-10-07 11:05:19 UTC10.7 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M4.52025-10-10 23:39:54 UTC126.8 kmNEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA M4.72025-10-14 20:38:44 UTC17.6 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M5.32025-10-23 04:06:55 UTC186.4 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M5.12025-10-23 04:06:58 UTC152.1 kmNew Britain region M5.12025-10-23 04:06:58 UTC158.5 kmNew Britain region M5.22025-10-23 04:07:02 UTC168.2 km49 km ESE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea M5.22025-10-23 04:07:02 UTC171.6 kmNEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 250 km.

Magnitude rank#4
Earlier events M≥498
Earlier events M≥530
Compared since2025-01-06

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC5.5 kmGabensis M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC10.0 kmEastern New Guinea region M6.72025-10-07 11:05:15 UTC20.6 kmPapua New Guinea [Land] M6.62025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC6.1 kmPapua New Guinea Region M6.62025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC0.0 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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