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Papua New Guinea · West New Britain

M4.8 Earthquake near Talasea District, West New Britain (Papua New Guinea)

UTC time: 2026-01-28 22:32:38 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
M4.8
Depth
135.0 km
Source
GFZ

West New Britain · Talasea District

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.8 earthquake was recorded near Talasea District, West New Britain (Papua New Guinea) on January 28, 2026 at 22:32 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 135 km. Earthquakes of this magnitude are clearly felt; minor damage to vulnerable buildings is possible.

The event was recorded by GFZ. Papua New Guinea: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 3 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.8.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 135 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 135 km
Intermediate
135 km
135 km — deeper than the regional average (82.3 km)
Regional average: 82.3 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ulawun
    Distance: 35 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'334 m ·Last eruption: 2025 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Lolobau
    Distance: 52 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bamus
    Distance: 52 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'248 m ·Last eruption: 1886 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Hargy
    Distance: 72 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'148 m ·Last eruption: 950 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Sulu Range
    Distance: 98 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 610 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 100 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea

West New Britain

Context for this earthquake

27 Sep 2025 – 27 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 31 Catalogue entries

Of 30 other entries for this area and period, 13 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · Papua New Guinea

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Country statistics · Papua New Guinea

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View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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