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M5.5 Depth: 98.0 km

M5.5 Earthquake near New Ireland (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-04-04 16:23:07 UTC Local time: —

About this earthquake

On April 4, 2026 at 16:23 UTC, a magnitude M5.5 earthquake occurred near New Ireland (Papua New Guinea). At around 98 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by GFZ. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 2 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.1.

Map

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 98 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 98 km
Intermediate
98 km
98 km — close to the regional average (84.8 km)
Regional average: 84.8 km
Why depth matters

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

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Kokopo148.6 kmW26'273
Port Moresby895.8 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Rabaul
    Distance: 159 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Tavui
    Distance: 161 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 200 m ·Last eruption: -4946 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Balbi
    Distance: 216 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'715 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Billy Mitchell
    Distance: 248 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'544 m ·Last eruption: 1580 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bagana
    Distance: 249 km ·Lava cone ·Elevation: 1'855 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ulawun
    Distance: 256 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 hours0
First 24 hours0
First 72 hours3
Strongest subsequent eventM5.3
M5.02026-04-06 08:27:48 UTC19.1 kmEvent of magnitude 5.0, near of Lae (Monde) M5.22026-04-06 08:27:49 UTC11.4 kmNew Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea M4.82026-04-06 08:27:49 UTC6.9 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M5.32026-04-13 02:55:54 UTC46.8 kmNew Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea M5.32026-04-13 02:55:54 UTC55.7 kmEvent of magnitude 5.3, near of Port Moresby (Monde) M5.32026-04-13 02:56:01 UTC69.0 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M4.82026-04-24 07:26:28 UTC7.9 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M4.92026-04-24 07:26:28 UTC1.6 kmNew Ireland region M4.82026-04-24 07:26:31 UTC35.5 km113 km E of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M5.02026-04-24 23:59:30 UTC10.1 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M5.02026-04-24 23:59:31 UTC12.4 kmNew Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea M4.62026-04-27 22:25:06 UTC7.1 kmNew Ireland

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#12
Earlier events M≥466
Earlier events M≥533
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 UTC42.5 km M6.12025-09-16 16:59:52 UTC99.2 kmPapua New Guinea [Sea] M6.12025-04-12 03:47:09 UTC50.1 km105 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M6.02025-09-16 16:59:51 UTC101.6 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M6.02025-09-16 16:59:46 UTC95.3 kmNew Ireland Region, 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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