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M5.5 Earthquake near Bismarck Sea

UTC time: 2026-03-12 21:58:47 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.

Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
10.0 km
Source
GFZ

Bismarck Sea

Map

M5.5 Earthquake near Bismarck Sea · 2026-03-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.5 Earthquake near Bismarck Sea · 2026-03-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On March 12, 2026 at 21:58 UTC, a magnitude M5.5 earthquake occurred near Bismarck Sea. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
8b07cc5f8a785130ebbd2b62059d8b03259fccee
Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-03-12 21:58:47 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-3.37000, 149.79000
Temperature
28.3°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
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
Kimbe245.5 kmS18'847
Port Moresby739.0 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Dakataua
    Distance: 189 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 408 m ·Last eruption: 1895 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bola
    Distance: 199 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'116 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Garua Harbour
    Distance: 217 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 565 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Titan Ridge
    Distance: 226 km ·Fissure vent ·Elevation: -1'300 m ·Last eruption: 1972 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Krummel-Garbuna-Welcker
    Distance: 229 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 564 m ·Last eruption: 2008 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 230 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·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#2
Earlier events M≥412
Earlier events M≥59
Compared since2025-01-15

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.72025-01-24 18:26:51 UTC124.6 km150 km S of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea M5.22026-03-12 21:58:46 UTC18.0 kmNew Ireland M5.22025-10-10 05:46:40 UTC90.5 kmBismarck Sea M5.12025-10-11 08:35:22 UTC129.3 kmBismarck Sea M5.12025-10-10 05:46:40 UTC98.2 km219 km WSW of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
612
Country (24h)
—
—
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