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M5.3 Depth: 10.0 km

M5.3 Earthquake near New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2025-10-23 04:06:55 UTC Local time: —

About this earthquake

On October 23, 2025 at 04:06 UTC, a magnitude M5.3 earthquake occurred near New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by GFZ. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 4 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.0.

Details

Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-10-23 04:06:55 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
City
West New Britain
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-6.56000, 148.44000
Temperature
27.2°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
Lae160.5 kmW76'255
Port Moresby354.1 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Langila
    Distance: 115 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'330 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ritter Island
    Distance: 121 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Umboi
    Distance: 124 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sakar
    Distance: 134 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Long Island
    Distance: 202 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Krummel-Garbuna-Welcker
    Distance: 217 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 564 m ·Last eruption: 2008 ·Papua New Guinea

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours4
First 24 hours4
First 72 hours4
Strongest subsequent eventM5.2
M5.12025-10-23 04:06:58 UTC35.7 kmNew Britain region M5.12025-10-23 04:06:58 UTC30.7 kmNew Britain region M5.22025-10-23 04:07:02 UTC20.1 km49 km ESE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea M5.22025-10-23 04:07:02 UTC16.4 kmNEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. M5.12025-11-04 05:13:05 UTC101.7 km88 km NW of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea M5.02025-11-04 05:13:05 UTC94.5 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M5.12025-11-04 05:13:05 UTC96.7 kmNEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. M4.42025-11-10 09:18:58 UTC88.7 km23 km W of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea M4.92025-11-12 10:46:38 UTC41.2 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M4.82025-11-12 10:46:40 UTC26.5 km74 km ENE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#5
Earlier events M≥446
Earlier events M≥514
Compared since2025-01-12

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.22025-10-07 11:05:05 UTC139.9 kmEastern New Guinea Reg., P.N.G. M5.72025-06-19 16:37:40 UTC87.3 kmPapua New Guinea Region M5.52025-06-19 16:37:42 UTC74.9 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M5.52025-04-13 03:48:23 UTC114.4 km46 km E of Lae, Papua New Guinea M5.12025-06-13 11:26:46 UTC133.7 kmNew Britain 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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