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M5.2 Earthquake near Papua New Guinea Region

UTC time: 2026-05-17 22:58:29 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. How our reports are produced ↗

Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
10.0 km
Source
GFZ

Papua New Guinea Region

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near Papua New Guinea Region · 2026-05-17 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Papua New Guinea Region · 2026-05-17 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On May 17, 2026 at 22:58 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near Papua New Guinea Region. 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.

Details

ID
a5dcff2581304eb707fe445a3d32919b95877185
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-17 22:58:29 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-6.47000, 147.42000
Temperature
23.5°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
Lae54.6 kmSW76'255
Port Moresby335.7 kmS283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Umboi
    Distance: 111 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ritter Island
    Distance: 131 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Long Island
    Distance: 133 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sakar
    Distance: 139 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Langila Activity reported
    Distance: 153 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'330 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hankow Reef
    Distance: 193 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
    77.4 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-08

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

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

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

First 6 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM5.2
M5.02026-05-17 22:58:32 UTC17.8 kmYauwo M5.22026-05-22 19:32:14 UTC9.9 kmSuak M4.82026-05-22 19:32:14 UTC23.0 kmNawae District M4.92026-05-27 09:33:34 UTC60.4 kmPapua New Guinea Region M4.82026-05-27 09:33:35 UTC61.7 kmFinschhafen District M4.82026-05-27 09:33:35 UTC59.9 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M4.92026-05-30 22:45:45 UTC69.1 kmPapua New Guinea Region M5.02026-05-30 22:45:51 UTC92.0 kmMorobe M4.32026-05-31 20:43:56 UTC126.2 kmMadang M4.32026-05-31 20:43:57 UTC121.1 kmMadang M4.42026-05-31 20:43:58 UTC139.1 kmMadang M4.52026-06-01 21:16:28 UTC135.4 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.

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#19
Earlier events M≥4130
Earlier events M≥547
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 UTC75.3 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC76.1 kmGabensis M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC73.1 kmEastern New Guinea region M6.72025-10-07 11:05:15 UTC61.7 kmPapua New Guinea [Land] M6.62025-10-07 11:05:18 UTC80.1 km26 km WSW of Lae, Papua New Guinea

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
585
Country (24h)
—
—
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