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M5.4 Earthquake near New Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea

UTC time: 2026-03-29 18:09:56 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. How our reports are produced ↗

Magnitude
M5.4
Depth
36.0 km
Source
GFZ

New Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea

Map

M5.4 Earthquake near New Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea · 2026-03-29 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.4 Earthquake near New Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea · 2026-03-29 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On March 29, 2026 at 18:09 UTC, a magnitude M5.4 earthquake occurred near New Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 36 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
7454a3cc2cd7e73422c9ec9646260bc670a6b190
Magnitude
M5.4
Depth
36.0 km
UTC time
2026-03-29 18:09:56 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-5.42000, 153.70000
Temperature
27.8°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 36 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 36 km
Shallow
36 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
Kokopo198.7 kmNW26'273
Port Moresby851.3 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Balbi
    Distance: 154 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'715 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bagana
    Distance: 184 km ·Lava cone ·Elevation: 1'855 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Billy Mitchell
    Distance: 184 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'544 m ·Last eruption: 1580 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 212 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Tavui
    Distance: 220 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 200 m ·Last eruption: -4946 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Takuan Group
    Distance: 240 km ·Compound ·Elevation: 2'210 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 eventM5.5
M5.42026-03-29 18:09:57 UTC4.3 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M5.52026-04-04 16:23:07 UTC95.3 kmNew Ireland M5.22026-04-04 16:23:07 UTC93.0 kmNew Ireland M5.02026-04-06 08:27:48 UTC87.4 kmEvent of magnitude 5.0, near of Lae (Monde) M5.22026-04-06 08:27:49 UTC106.0 kmNew Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea M4.82026-04-06 08:27:49 UTC89.4 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M5.32026-04-13 02:55:54 UTC48.6 kmNew Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea M5.32026-04-13 02:55:54 UTC48.3 kmEvent of magnitude 5.3, near of Port Moresby (Monde) M5.32026-04-13 02:56:01 UTC28.1 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M4.82026-04-24 07:26:28 UTC95.5 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M4.92026-04-24 07:26:28 UTC96.3 kmNew Ireland region M4.82026-04-24 07:26:31 UTC108.9 km113 km E of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#9
Earlier events M≥479
Earlier events M≥531
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.22025-04-12 03:47:13 UTC93.9 km M6.12025-09-16 16:59:52 UTC12.2 kmPapua New Guinea [Sea] M6.12025-04-12 03:47:09 UTC101.1 km105 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M6.02025-09-16 16:59:51 UTC7.9 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M6.02025-09-16 16:59:46 UTC6.7 kmNew Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
646
Country (24h)
—
—
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