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Papua New Guinea · New Ireland

M4.6 Earthquake near Namatanai District, New Ireland (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-10-02 20:26:03 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded Content updated:

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

Magnitude
M4.6
Depth
86.7 km
Source
USGS

New Ireland · Namatanai District

Country overview

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About this earthquake

On October 2, 2026 at 20:26 UTC, a magnitude M4.6 earthquake occurred near Namatanai District, New Ireland (Papua New Guinea). The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 87 km. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks. Papua New Guinea: 3 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.9.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 86.7 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 86.7 km
Intermediate
86.7 km
86.7 km — close to the regional average (82.3 km)
Regional average: 82.3 km
Why depth matters

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

Depth classes per USGS

Tectonic context

Located on the South Bismarck Plate.
Near the boundary North Bismarck ↔ South Bismarck · about 6 km away

Volcanoes nearby

  • Rabaul
    Distance: 80 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Tavui
    Distance: 86 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 200 m ·Last eruption: -4946 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ulawun
    Distance: 175 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 190 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bamus
    Distance: 191 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 210 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea

New Ireland

Context for this earthquake

04 Oct 2025 – 04 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 34 Catalogue entries

Of 33 other entries for this area and period, 25 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · Papua New Guinea

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Country statistics · Papua New Guinea

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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