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M5.9 Depth: 10.0 km

M5.9 Earthquake near New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2025-08-07 16:33:59 UTC Local time: —

About this earthquake

On August 7, 2025 at 16:33 UTC, a magnitude M5.9 earthquake occurred near New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea). 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 data is provided by GFZ and cross-checked across seismological networks. Papua New Guinea: 4 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M5.0.

Details

Magnitude
M5.9
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-08-07 16:33:59 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
City
New Ireland
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-4.21000, 152.88000
Temperature
23.7°C

Map

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 (85 km)
Regional average: 85 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
Kokopo69.4 kmW26'273
Port Moresby861.9 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tavui
    Distance: 75 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 200 m ·Last eruption: -4946 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 76 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ulawun
    Distance: 196 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 206 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bamus
    Distance: 213 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 233 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·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 hours0
Strongest subsequent eventM5.3
M5.02025-08-24 18:19:13 UTC90.2 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M4.82025-08-24 18:19:22 UTC67.8 km36 km SSE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M5.22025-09-04 09:38:35 UTC107.8 kmNew Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea M5.32025-09-04 09:38:41 UTC103.2 km149 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M5.32025-09-04 09:38:41 UTC96.3 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M5.12025-09-04 09:38:48 UTC85.0 kmEvent of magnitude 5.1, near of Port Moresby (Monde)

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#3
Earlier events M≥442
Earlier events M≥510
Compared since2025-01-01

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 UTC68.5 km M6.12025-04-12 03:47:09 UTC61.5 km105 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M5.52025-04-12 03:47:24 UTC82.6 kmNew Ireland M5.42025-01-02 07:06:39 UTC139.9 kmNew Ireland M5.32025-08-07 16:33:58 UTC21.9 kmSemalu

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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