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Papua New Guinea · East Sepik

M5.0 Earthquake near Ambunti District, East Sepik (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-01-08 03:21:26 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.

Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
131.4 km
Source
USGS

East Sepik · Ambunti District

Country overview

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near Ambunti District, East Sepik (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-01-08 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near Ambunti District, East Sepik (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-01-08 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.0 earthquake was recorded near Ambunti District, East Sepik (Papua New Guinea) on January 8, 2026 at 03:21 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 131 km. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 131.4 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 131.4 km
Intermediate
131.4 km
131.4 km — deeper than the regional average (80.5 km)
Regional average: 80.5 km
Why depth matters

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

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Wewak181.6 kmE18'230
Jayapura233.7 kmNW410'852

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Kadovar
    Distance: 282 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 365 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Blup Blup
    Distance: 286 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 402 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bam
    Distance: 307 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 685 m ·Last eruption: 1960 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Manam
    Distance: 326 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'807 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Karkar
    Distance: 434 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'839 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Papua New Guinea

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours0
First 72 hours0
Strongest subsequent eventM4.4
M3.12026-01-11 05:28:17 UTC148.4 kmKeerom M3.62026-01-20 13:06:39 UTC87.1 kmRawei M4.02026-01-22 09:57:40 UTC138.9 kmKoroba - Kopiago District M3.82026-01-28 06:55:59 UTC64.1 kmAmanab District M4.42026-01-29 17:09:10 UTC143.1 kmAitape District M3.42026-01-30 04:37:51 UTC121.7 kmVanimo District M3.72026-02-02 16:18:06 UTC79.2 kmAmanab District M3.12026-02-02 18:53:40 UTC148.4 kmVanimo District

Papua New Guinea

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 307 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

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#3
Earlier events M≥435
Earlier events M≥57
Compared since2025-01-18

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.62025-07-06 08:21:41 UTC22.5 kmNew Guinea, Papua New Guinea M5.32025-07-06 08:21:50 UTC20.2 kmNEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA M5.02026-01-08 03:21:24 UTC13.4 kmAmbunti District M5.02025-09-24 14:53:16 UTC38.2 km42 km W of Ambunti, Papua New Guinea M5.02025-09-24 14:53:16 UTC31.3 kmNew Guinea, 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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