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Papua New Guinea · Southern Highlands

M5.4 Earthquake near Nipa District, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-01-26 17:06:23 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
M5.4
Depth
10.0 km
Source
RESIF

Southern Highlands · Nipa District

Country overview

Map

M5.4 Earthquake near Nipa District, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-01-26 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.4 Earthquake near Nipa District, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-01-26 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.4 earthquake was recorded near Nipa District, Southern Highlands (Papua New Guinea) on January 26, 2026 at 17:06 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 can damage poorly built structures.

The data is provided by RESIF and cross-checked across seismological networks. Papua New Guinea: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.9.

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 (80.7 km)
Regional average: 80.7 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
Mendi38.0 kmN26'252
Merauke419.8 kmSW116'864

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Manam
    Distance: 310 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'807 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Karkar
    Distance: 331 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: 349 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 402 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 386 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Mendi AirportPapua New Guinea · MDU · AYMN
    38.0 kmStraight-line distance
  • Moro AirportPapua New Guinea · MXH · AYMR
    45.3 kmStraight-line distance
  • Wapenamanda AirportPapua New Guinea · WBM · AYWD
    99.2 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 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM4.6
M4.62026-01-26 21:53:27 UTC18.8 kmNipa District

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#2
Earlier events M≥411
Earlier events M≥53
Compared since2025-01-26

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.62026-01-26 17:06:22 UTC13.3 kmBaibu M5.02026-01-03 01:26:40 UTC6.2 km33 km SSW of Mendi, Papua New Guinea M5.02026-01-03 01:26:40 UTC11.0 kmNew Guinea, Papua New Guinea M4.92025-07-17 11:25:54 UTC142.1 kmNew Guinea, Papua New Guinea M4.92025-07-17 11:25:53 UTC126.9 kmNEW GUINEA, 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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