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Papua New Guinea

M4.9 Earthquake near New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2025-12-21 14:23:35 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 New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 67 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude are clearly felt; minor damage to vulnerable buildings is possible.

The data is provided by GFZ and cross-checked across seismological networks. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 3 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.8.

Details

ID
7b8f197a170db1d8d7225d4723927986d8c8c684
Magnitude
M4.9
Depth
67.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-21 14:23:35 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
City
East New Britain
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-5.52000, 151.85000
Temperature
26.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 67 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 67 km
Shallow
67 km
67 km — close to 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: 77 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ulawun
    Distance: 78 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 86 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sulu Range
    Distance: 101 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 610 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 102 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 147 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·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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