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Papua New Guinea

M4.9 Earthquake near 150 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2025-12-21 14:23:34 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

On December 21, 2025 at 14:23 UTC, a magnitude M4.9 earthquake occurred near 150 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 56 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The event was recorded by USGS. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 3 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.8.

Details

ID
6654281c49bdd05cc2b0d8cd78ce1e85e93a8c4b
Magnitude
M4.9
Depth
55.5 km
UTC time
2025-12-21 14:23:34 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
City
East New Britain
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-5.65710, 151.92010
Temperature
26.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 55.5 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 55.5 km
Shallow
55.5 km
55.5 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

  • Bamus
    Distance: 92 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ulawun
    Distance: 94 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 98 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sulu Range
    Distance: 110 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 610 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 118 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Witori
    Distance: 156 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 724 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·Papua New Guinea

East New Britain

Context for this earthquake

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

Of 32 other entries for this area and period, 24 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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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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