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Papua New Guinea

M4.6 Earthquake near NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2025-05-21 17:12:35 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.

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.6 earthquake was recorded near NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. (Papua New Guinea) on May 21, 2025 at 17:12 UTC. With a focal depth of about 58 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude are clearly felt; minor damage to vulnerable buildings is possible.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 3 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.8.

Details

ID
5f613b6c5f89d45fe4668b2636af1f10407f3006
Magnitude
M4.6
Depth
57.5 km
UTC time
2025-05-21 17:12:35 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
City
East New Britain
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-5.44900, 152.30280
Temperature
27.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 57.5 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 57.5 km
Shallow
57.5 km
57.5 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

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ulawun
    Distance: 116 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bamus
    Distance: 122 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 134 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 134 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 140 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Tavui
    Distance: 149 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 200 m ·Last eruption: -4946 ·Papua New Guinea

East New Britain

Context for this earthquake

27 Sep 2025 – 27 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 33 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

Historic earthquake map · Papua New Guinea

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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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