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Papua New Guinea · Morobe

M5.3 Earthquake near Tawae-Siassi District, Morobe (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-09-24 23:30:28 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

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

Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
53.6 km
Source
USGS

Morobe · Tawae-Siassi District

Country overview

Map

M5.3 Earthquake near Tawae-Siassi District, Morobe (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-24 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near Tawae-Siassi District, Morobe (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-24 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.3 earthquake was recorded near Tawae-Siassi District, Morobe (Papua New Guinea) on September 24, 2026 at 23:30 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 54 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by USGS. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 2 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.9.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 53.6 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 53.6 km
Shallow
53.6 km
53.6 km — shallower than 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

Felt reports

1felt 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 24, 2026, 11:33 PM UTC · Last checked: Oct 4, 2026, 11:37 AM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Tectonic context

Located on the South Bismarck Plate.
Near the boundary South Bismarck ↔ Woodlark · about 85 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Lae83.3 kmSW76'255
Port Moresby378.0 kmS283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Umboi
    Distance: 78 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Long Island
    Distance: 92 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ritter Island
    Distance: 102 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sakar
    Distance: 107 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Langila Activity reported
    Distance: 130 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'330 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 153 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Nadzab Tomodachi International AirportPapua New Guinea · LAE · AYNZ
    91.1 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-04

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

Comparison of seismic sources

4 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.1 to M5.4.

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

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
GFZM5.410.0 km7.9 km
RESIFM5.110.0 km9.7 km
USGSM5.353.6 km0.0 km
EMSCM5.475.0 km13.9 km

Morobe

Context for this earthquake

04 Oct 2025 – 04 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 40 Catalogue entries

Of 39 other entries for this area and period, 10 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 150 km.

Magnitude rank#22
Earlier events M≥4161
Earlier events M≥561
Compared since2025-01-08

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 UTC95.7 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC98.8 kmGabensis M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC94.6 kmEastern New Guinea region M6.72025-10-07 11:05:15 UTC83.4 kmPapua New Guinea [Land] M6.62025-10-07 11:05:18 UTC104.0 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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