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Papua New Guinea · New Ireland

M5.4 Earthquake near New Ireland (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-09-26 14:08:09 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.4
Depth
10.0 km
Source
SERBIA_RSZ

New Ireland · New Ireland

Country overview

Map

M5.4 Earthquake near New Ireland (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-26 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.4 Earthquake near New Ireland (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-26 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 26, 2026 at 14:08 UTC, a magnitude M5.4 earthquake occurred near New Ireland (Papua New Guinea). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The data is provided by Seismological Survey of Serbia and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
7c5992d6bba84f57ec7d0a541420739697d578b9
Magnitude
M5.4
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-26 14:08:09 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
State
New Ireland
City
New Ireland
Source
serbia_rsz
Coordinates
-4.65000, 153.58000
Temperature
26.7°C

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 (80.3 km)
Regional average: 80.3 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

Estimated impact

Green No or minimal impact expected.
Estimated population exposed
IV 198'465
1 Felt reports · max reported intensity 2

Ground shaking

IV
Light · Intensity (MMI) IV
Felt by many, no damage.

Tectonic context

Located on the North Bismarck Plate.
Near the boundary North Bismarck ↔ South Bismarck · about 58 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Kokopo149.3 kmW26'273
Port Moresby889.5 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Rabaul
    Distance: 160 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Tavui
    Distance: 163 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 200 m ·Last eruption: -4946 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Balbi
    Distance: 211 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'715 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Billy Mitchell
    Distance: 243 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'544 m ·Last eruption: 1580 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bagana
    Distance: 244 km ·Lava cone ·Elevation: 1'855 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ulawun
    Distance: 253 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·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 hours2
First 72 hours2
Strongest subsequent eventM5.6
M5.62026-09-26 14:08:13 UTC63.2 kmMatkamlagir M5.22026-09-26 21:49:21 UTC83.1 kmNamatanai District M5.12026-09-30 08:15:14 UTC141.7 kmEast New Britain M4.62026-10-02 20:26:02 UTC83.0 kmNamatanai District M4.92026-10-06 08:45:26 UTC93.8 kmNamatanai District M4.62026-10-14 02:12:14 UTC74.0 kmNamatanai District M5.12026-10-18 22:31:43 UTC133.1 km129 km SSE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M5.02026-10-22 05:24:00 UTC137.5 kmKokopo District

New Ireland

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 34 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#17
Earlier events M≥4121
Earlier events M≥562
Compared since2025-01-12

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 UTC38.9 km M6.12025-09-16 16:59:52 UTC90.9 kmPapua New Guinea [Sea] M6.12025-04-12 03:47:09 UTC47.4 km105 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M6.02026-09-05 14:12:07 UTC17.8 kmNew Ireland M6.02025-09-16 16:59:51 UTC93.1 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G.

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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