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Papua New Guinea · Autonomous Region of Bougainville

M5.0 Earthquake near Buin District, Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-10-02 11:14:14 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

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

Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
38.3 km
Source
USGS

Autonomous Region of Bougainville · Buin District

Country overview

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near Buin District, Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-10-02 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near Buin District, Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-10-02 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On October 2, 2026 at 11:14 UTC, a magnitude M5.0 earthquake occurred near Buin District, Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 38 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. 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 M4.9.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 38.3 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 38.3 km
Shallow
38.3 km
38.3 km — shallower than the regional average (82.3 km)
Regional average: 82.3 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

Tectonic context

Located on the Pacific Plate.
Near the boundary Pacific ↔ North Bismarck · about 39 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Arawa76.0 kmNE40'266
Port Moresby921.4 kmW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Bagana
    Distance: 59 km ·Lava cone ·Elevation: 1'855 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Billy Mitchell
    Distance: 65 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'544 m ·Last eruption: 1580 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Loloru
    Distance: 68 km ·Compound ·Elevation: 1'887 m ·Last eruption: -1050 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Takuan Group
    Distance: 69 km ·Compound ·Elevation: 2'210 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Balbi
    Distance: 80 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'715 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Simbo
    Distance: 248 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 335 m ·Last eruption: 1910 ·Solomon Islands

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Aropa AirportPapua New Guinea · KIE · AYIQ
    87.1 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-04

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Comparison of seismic sources

4 sources currently report magnitudes from M4.8 to M5.0.

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

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
EMSCM5.026.1 km18.6 km
GFZM4.826.0 km18.4 km
ISCM5.038.0 km0.0 km
USGSM5.038.3 km0.0 km

Papua New Guinea

Context for this earthquake

04 Oct 2025 – 04 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 307 Catalogue entries

Of 306 other entries for this area and period, 102 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#26
Earlier events M≥491
Earlier events M≥535
Compared since2025-01-03

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.82026-07-28 20:27:59 UTC88.6 kmEvent of magnitude 5.8, near Port Moresby (Monde) M5.72025-05-02 10:59:19 UTC128.8 kmSolomon Islands M5.62025-02-23 01:31:52 UTC133.7 km126 km WNW of Gizo, Solomon Islands M5.42025-02-23 04:17:35 UTC127.2 km122 km SSE of Panguna, Papua New Guinea M5.42025-02-10 00:28:21 UTC86.6 km86 km SSE of Panguna, 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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