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Papua New Guinea · Morobe

M5.0 Earthquake near Yauwo, Morobe (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-05-17 22:58:32 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.

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near Yauwo, Morobe (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-05-17 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near Yauwo, Morobe (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-05-17 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.0 earthquake was recorded near Yauwo, Morobe (Papua New Guinea) on May 17, 2026 at 22:58 UTC. With a focal depth of about 60 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

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

Details

ID
4a5948e5aaed21367ffbaffe8cf106b43d47cef1
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
59.8 km
UTC time
2026-05-17 22:58:32 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
State
Morobe
City
Yauwo
County
Finschhafen District
Village
Yauwo
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-6.44960, 147.57960
Temperature
23.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 59.8 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 59.8 km
Shallow
59.8 km
59.8 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
Lae71.3 kmSW76'255
Port Moresby340.0 kmS283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Umboi
    Distance: 101 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ritter Island
    Distance: 119 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sakar
    Distance: 128 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Long Island
    Distance: 137 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Langila Activity reported
    Distance: 139 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'330 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 199 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Nadzab Tomodachi International AirportPapua New Guinea · LAE · AYNZ
    95.2 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

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 hours0
First 72 hours0
Strongest subsequent eventM5.2
M5.22026-05-22 19:32:14 UTC27.3 kmSuak M4.82026-05-22 19:32:14 UTC31.8 kmNawae District M4.92026-05-27 09:33:34 UTC49.9 kmPapua New Guinea Region M4.82026-05-27 09:33:35 UTC50.5 kmFinschhafen District M4.82026-05-27 09:33:35 UTC49.2 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M4.92026-05-30 22:45:45 UTC70.2 kmPapua New Guinea Region M5.02026-05-30 22:45:51 UTC95.2 kmMorobe M4.32026-05-31 20:43:56 UTC132.8 kmMadang M4.32026-05-31 20:43:57 UTC127.5 kmMadang M4.42026-05-31 20:43:58 UTC144.6 kmMadang M4.52026-06-01 21:16:28 UTC139.2 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M4.42026-06-06 19:04:35 UTC140.7 kmWest New Britain

Morobe

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 40 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#40
Earlier events M≥4130
Earlier events M≥548
Compared since2025-01-08

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.72025-10-07 11:05:19 UTC92.8 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC93.3 kmGabensis M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC90.5 kmEastern New Guinea region M6.72025-10-07 11:05:15 UTC79.2 kmPapua New Guinea [Land] M6.62025-10-07 11:05:18 UTC97.1 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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