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M5.1 Depth: 10.0 km

M5.1 Earthquake near NEAR N COAST OF NEW GUINEA, PNG. (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2025-05-17 00:45:38 UTC Local time: —

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.1 earthquake was recorded near NEAR N COAST OF NEW GUINEA, PNG. (Papua New Guinea) on May 17, 2025 at 00:45 UTC. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-05-17 00:45:38 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
City
Madang
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-3.52510, 145.35060
Temperature
28.4°C

Map

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 (85 km)
Regional average: 85 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
Wewak190.7 kmW18'230
Jayapura526.1 kmW410'852

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Bam
    Distance: 60 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 685 m ·Last eruption: 1960 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Manam
    Distance: 71 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'807 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Blup Blup
    Distance: 83 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 402 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Kadovar
    Distance: 85 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 365 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Karkar
    Distance: 143 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'839 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 214 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea

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 eventM6.6
M5.12025-05-17 00:45:41 UTC16.1 kmNear North Coast of Papua New Guinea M6.42025-05-20 15:05:58 UTC74.2 kmNEAR N COAST OF NEW GUINEA, PNG. M6.62025-05-20 15:05:59 UTC50.1 km111 km NE of Angoram, Papua New Guinea M6.62025-05-20 15:06:02 UTC56.8 kmNear North Coast of Papua New Guinea M6.62025-05-20 15:06:04 UTC46.7 km116 km NE of Angoram, Papua New Guinea

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#1
Earlier events M≥44
Earlier events M≥50
Compared since2025-02-14

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

Strongest earlier events

M4.92025-02-20 19:16:58 UTC69.7 km201 km SW of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea M4.82025-02-14 09:19:49 UTC100.2 km204 km WSW of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea M4.62025-02-14 10:38:10 UTC62.5 km112 km E of Angoram, Papua New Guinea M4.52025-04-18 15:49:02 UTC18.2 km137 km ENE of Angoram, 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.

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
648
Country (24h)
Papua New Guinea
0
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