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M6.1 Earthquake near Papua New Guinea [Sea]

UTC time: 2025-09-16 16:59:52 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
M6.1
Depth
64.8 km
Source
INGV

Papua New Guinea [Sea]

Map

M6.1 Earthquake near Papua New Guinea [Sea] · 2025-09-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M6.1 Earthquake near Papua New Guinea [Sea] · 2025-09-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 16, 2025 at 16:59 UTC, a magnitude M6.1 earthquake occurred near Papua New Guinea [Sea]. 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 cause significant damage in populated areas.

The data is provided by INGV and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
de2a23cb81b89759c162938146a125d73756de83
Magnitude
M6.1
Depth
64.8 km
UTC time
2025-09-16 16:59:52 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
ingv
Coordinates
-5.43516, 153.80900
Temperature
27.9°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 64.8 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 64.8 km
Shallow
64.8 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
Kokopo209.4 kmNW26'273
Port Moresby860.6 kmSW283'733

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Balbi
    Distance: 142 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'715 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Bagana
    Distance: 172 km ·Lava cone ·Elevation: 1'855 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Billy Mitchell
    Distance: 173 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'544 m ·Last eruption: 1580 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Rabaul
    Distance: 223 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 688 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·Papua New Guinea
  • Takuan Group
    Distance: 228 km ·Compound ·Elevation: 2'210 m ·Papua New Guinea
  • Tavui
    Distance: 230 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 200 m ·Last eruption: -4946 ·Papua New Guinea

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

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

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-26

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 250 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours0
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM5.3
M4.72025-09-19 13:24:30 UTC180.2 km37 km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea M4.62025-09-21 01:34:06 UTC182.6 kmNEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. M5.02025-09-29 22:48:54 UTC231.4 kmNEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. M5.02025-09-29 22:48:58 UTC218.7 kmNew Britain Region, Papua New Guinea M4.82025-10-14 19:32:33 UTC205.5 kmNorth of Solomon Islands M5.32025-10-14 19:32:41 UTC191.6 km206 km ENE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M5.22025-10-14 19:32:41 UTC194.2 kmNorth of Solomon Islands M5.32025-10-14 19:32:41 UTC197.0 kmEvent of magnitude 5.3, near of Lae (Monde)

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 250 km.

Magnitude rank#3
Earlier events M≥4127
Earlier events M≥539
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.52025-04-04 20:04:39 UTC241.9 km194 km ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea M6.22025-04-12 03:47:13 UTC102.3 km M6.12025-04-12 03:47:09 UTC110.0 km105 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea M6.02025-09-16 16:59:51 UTC7.4 kmNEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G. M6.02025-09-16 16:59:46 UTC6.1 kmNew Ireland Region, Papua New Guinea

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
382
Country (24h)
—
—
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