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Papua New Guinea

M5.2 Earthquake near NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2025-12-21 05:25:22 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.

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. (Papua New Guinea) · 2025-12-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. (Papua New Guinea) · 2025-12-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 21, 2025 at 05:25 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. (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 EMSC.

Details

ID
b3ee1808cc67b0d6aee9fcb0125805609485ad67
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-21 05:25:22 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Papua New Guinea
City
East New Britain
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-5.58960, 151.85350
Temperature
29.4°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
10 km — shallower than the regional average (80.5 km)
Regional average: 80.5 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
Kokopo146.0 kmN26'273
Port Moresby674.9 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Bamus
    Distance: 81 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Ulawun
    Distance: 83 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 88 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sulu Range
    Distance: 101 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 610 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 107 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Witori
    Distance: 148 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 724 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·Papua New Guinea

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

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

First 6 hours2
First 24 hours8
First 72 hours9
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M5.72025-12-21 05:25:23 UTC28.0 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M5.22025-12-21 05:25:25 UTC75.0 kmEvent of magnitude 5.2, near of Port Moresby (Monde) M4.92025-12-21 14:23:34 UTC10.5 km150 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M4.92025-12-21 14:23:35 UTC7.7 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M5.32025-12-21 23:07:27 UTC17.3 km157 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M5.52025-12-21 23:07:27 UTC23.7 kmNEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. M5.42025-12-21 23:07:28 UTC11.9 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M5.22025-12-21 23:07:28 UTC61.4 kmEvent of magnitude 5.2, near of Port Moresby (Monde) M4.92025-12-22 14:00:23 UTC70.1 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M5.12025-12-29 11:40:02 UTC72.4 km115 km S of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M5.12025-12-29 11:40:02 UTC91.2 kmEvent of magnitude 5.1, near of Port Moresby (Monde) M5.02025-12-29 11:40:09 UTC57.0 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea

East New Britain

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 33 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#12
Earlier events M≥4200
Earlier events M≥560
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.92025-04-04 20:04:38 UTC85.9 km181 km ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea M6.52025-04-04 20:04:39 UTC69.1 km194 km ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea M5.82025-06-23 03:17:13 UTC141.5 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M5.52025-04-12 03:47:24 UTC119.0 kmNew Ireland M5.42025-04-30 11:51:43 UTC103.4 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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