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Papua New Guinea · Madang

M6.4 Earthquake near Wanuru, Madang (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-09-20 09:17:36 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

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

Map

M6.4 Earthquake near Wanuru, Madang (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M6.4 Earthquake near Wanuru, Madang (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M6.4 earthquake was recorded near Wanuru, Madang (Papua New Guinea) on September 20, 2026 at 09:17 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 104 km. Earthquakes of this magnitude can cause significant damage in populated areas.

The event was recorded by USGS. Papua New Guinea: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M6.4.

Details

ID
88970d122dd305623b11f8bdfdde3bf771572e82
Magnitude
M6.4
Depth
104.3 km
UTC time
2026-09-20 09:17:36 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
State
Madang
City
Wanuru
County
Rai Coast District
Village
Wanuru
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-5.90210, 146.09220
Temperature
21.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 104.3 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 104.3 km
Intermediate
104.3 km
104.3 km — deeper than the regional average (83.2 km)
Regional average: 83.2 km
Why depth matters

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

Depth classes per USGS

Felt reports

9felt reports at EMSC / LastQuake

Voluntary reports of feeling this earthquake. The count is not an intensity measurement and is not added to USGS DYFI reports.

Data updated: Sep 20, 2026, 1:08 PM UTC · Last checked: Sep 20, 2026, 3:22 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Estimated impact

Green No or minimal impact expected.
Estimated population exposed
IV 990'020
V 446'185
28 Felt reports · max reported intensity 5.6

Ground shaking

V
Moderate · Intensity (MMI) V
Felt by all, slight damage possible.

Tectonic context

Located on the South Bismarck Plate.
Near the boundary South Bismarck ↔ Woodlark · about 25 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Madang76.3 kmNW27'419
Port Moresby420.8 kmS283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Long Island
    Distance: 130 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 133 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Karkar
    Distance: 140 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'839 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Umboi
    Distance: 202 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sakar
    Distance: 227 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ritter Island
    Distance: 228 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Goroka AirportPapua New Guinea · GKA · AYGA
    80.0 kmStraight-line distance
  • Madang AirportPapua New Guinea · MAG · AYMD
    84.3 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-20

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 250 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM5.5
M5.52026-09-20 12:45:52 UTC9.1 kmGumbarami

Comparison of seismic sources

6 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.9 to M6.4.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
RESIFM5.981.6 km14.4 km
SCEDCM6.4104.3 km0.0 km
EMSCM6.1110.0 km6.6 km
INGVM6.4105.5 km2.2 km
USGSM6.4104.3 km0.0 km
GFZM6.1114.0 km9.9 km

Madang

Context for this earthquake

20 Sep 2025 – 20 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 46 Catalogue entries

Of 45 other entries for this area and period, 1 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 250 km.

Magnitude rank#16
Earlier events M≥4205
Earlier events M≥569
Compared since2025-01-03

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.72025-10-07 11:05:19 UTC121.8 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC126.9 kmGabensis M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC124.7 kmEastern New Guinea region M6.72025-10-07 11:05:15 UTC127.0 kmPapua New Guinea [Land] M6.62025-10-07 11:05:18 UTC129.6 km26 km WSW of Lae, 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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