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Papua New Guinea · Morobe

M5.4 Earthquake near Iwatola, Morobe (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-09-02 20:04:33 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.

Magnitude

M5.4

Depth: 65.2 km
Source: USGS

Morobe · Iwatola

Country overview

Map

M5.4 Earthquake near Iwatola, Morobe (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-09-02 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 2, 2026 at 20:04 UTC, a magnitude M5.4 earthquake occurred near Iwatola, Morobe (Papua New Guinea). With a focal depth of about 65 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 event was recorded by USGS.

Details

b7670d5f2df25f9084c9fbe945ae471e71fb807f

Magnitude

M5.4

Depth

65.2 km

UTC time

2026-09-02 20:04:33 UTC

Local time

—

Country

Papua New Guinea

State

Morobe

City

Iwatola

County

Menyamya District

Village

Iwatola

Source

usgs

Coordinates

-7.18150, 146.15390

Temperature

25.5°C

Depth profile

Shallow

65.2 km

65.2 km — close to 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

Estimated impact

Green No or minimal impact expected.

Estimated population exposed

IV 741'632

Ground shaking

Light · Intensity (MMI) IV

Felt by many, no damage.

Tectonic context

Located on the Woodlark Plate.

Near the boundary Woodlark ↔ Australia · about 74 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation

Bulolo53.7 kmE16'042

Port Moresby277.8 kmSE283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

Long Island

Distance: 233 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'263 m ·Last eruption: 1993 ·Papua New Guinea
Umboi

Distance: 261 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'335 m ·Papua New Guinea
Hankow Reef

Distance: 263 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -5 m ·Papua New Guinea
Karkar

Distance: 283 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'839 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Papua New Guinea
Ritter Island

Distance: 285 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 75 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Papua New Guinea
Sakar

Distance: 290 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 947 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
93.0 kmStraight-line distance
Kerema AirportPapua New Guinea · KMA · AYKM
96.7 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

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 hours0

First 24 hours0

First 72 hours0

Strongest subsequent eventM6.4

M5.12026-09-14 22:06:53 UTC108.3 kmTuguntugun M6.42026-09-20 09:17:35 UTC142.4 kmWanuru

Comparison of seismic sources

4 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.3 to M5.7.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference

GFZM5.710.0 km3.0 km

RESIFM5.310.0 km11.4 km

EMSCM5.7169.0 km11.8 km

USGSM5.465.2 km0.0 km

Morobe

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 40 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≥441

Earlier events M≥516

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 UTC87.8 kmEASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G. M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC85.4 kmGabensis M6.72025-10-07 11:05:17 UTC89.2 kmEastern New Guinea region M6.72025-10-07 11:05:15 UTC100.8 kmPapua New Guinea [Land] M6.62025-10-07 11:05:18 UTC80.8 km26 km WSW of Lae, 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