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Papua New Guinea · Autonomous Region of Bougainville

M5.2 Earthquake near Buka District, Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-01-29 20:28:16 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
M5.2
Depth
10.0 km
Source
RESIF

Autonomous Region of Bougainville · Buka District

Country overview

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near Buka District, Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-01-29 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Buka District, Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) · 2026-01-29 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On January 29, 2026 at 20:28 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near Buka District, Autonomous Region of Bougainville (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 event was recorded by RESIF. Papua New Guinea: 3 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M5.8.

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 (82.3 km)
Regional average: 82.3 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
Arawa190.4 kmSE40'266
Port Moresby909.3 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Balbi
    Distance: 120 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'715 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Billy Mitchell
    Distance: 151 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'544 m ·Last eruption: 1580 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bagana
    Distance: 152 km ·Lava cone ·Elevation: 1'855 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Takuan Group
    Distance: 209 km ·Compound ·Elevation: 2'210 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Loloru
    Distance: 216 km ·Compound ·Elevation: 1'887 m ·Last eruption: -1050 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 245 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Buka AirportPapua New Guinea · BUA · AYBK
    59.0 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-27

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

Papua New Guinea

Context for this earthquake

27 Sep 2025 – 27 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 305 Catalogue entries

Of 304 other entries for this area and period, 71 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#16
Earlier events M≥467
Earlier events M≥524
Compared since2025-01-12

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 UTC118.7 km M6.12025-09-16 16:59:52 UTC48.7 kmPapua New Guinea [Sea] M6.12025-04-12 03:47:09 UTC127.8 km105 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M6.02025-09-16 16:59:51 UTC56.1 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M6.02025-09-16 16:59:46 UTC52.1 kmNew Ireland 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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