Seismic Activity in Papua New Guinea
Over the past 30 days, there have been 13 recorded earthquakes in this region. The largest recent earthquake was a magnitude 6.4 event near 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea.
Earthquakes in Papua New Guinea
2 earthquakes in the last 24 hours• Latest significant: M6.4
Earthquake Map
Recent Earthquakes (Last 30 Days)
Dataset at a glance — Papua New Guinea
Over the past 30 days, Papua New Guinea has recorded 13 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater in our tracker. 4 reached magnitude 5.0 or higher. 9 landed between M4.0 and M4.9. By depth: 5 shallow (<70 km), 8 intermediate (70–300 km). 7 of the epicenters were offshore. 2 events produced at least one felt report, totalling 37 citizen submissions to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Focal depths ranged from 10.0 km to 232.1 km. All 13 solutions have been reviewed by a USGS seismologist.
Each row in the table below includes a narrative summary of the event, ordered by time. Use the column headers to sort or filter by magnitude.
Showing 13 of 13
| Time ↓ | Mag ↕ | Location ↕ | Depth ↕ | Felt ↕ | MMI | Alert | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 hours ago 2026-10-04 01:38:46 UTC | 4.9mb | 21 km NE of Lae, Papua New Guinea -6.592°, 147.135° | 94.2 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
At 01:38 UTC on October 4, 2026, a magnitude 4.9 tremor occurred 21 km NE of Lae, Papua New Guinea. The event was offshore. See the M4.9 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
18 hours ago 2026-10-03 17:24:12 UTC | 4.6mb | 76 km NNE of Lae, Papua New Guinea -6.050°, 147.168° | 81.9 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
The USGS recorded this magnitude 4.6 earthquake 76 km NNE of Lae, Papua New Guinea at 17:24 UTC on October 3, 2026. See the M4.6 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
1 day ago 2026-10-03 11:05:45 UTC | 4.4mb | 116 km NNE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea -5.629°, 148.345° | 232.1 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
On October 3, 2026 at 11:05 UTC, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 116 km NNE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea. This is the deepest earthquake in the current dataset — an intermediate depth event. See the M4.4 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-24 2026-09-24 23:30:28 UTC | 5.3mww | 72 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea -6.086°, 147.393° | 53.6 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
Seismographs logged a magnitude 5.3 earthquake 72 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea with origin time 23:30 UTC on September 24, 2026. The event was offshore. See the M5.3 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-24 2026-09-24 16:28:00 UTC | 4.6mb | 119 km SW of Abepura, Indonesia -3.243°, 139.768° | 68.5 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
This magnitude 4.6 event was detected 119 km SW of Abepura, Indonesia on September 24, 2026, with origin time 16:28 UTC. The event was offshore. See the M4.6 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-23 2026-09-23 22:31:20 UTC | 4.5mb | 50 km E of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea -6.640°, 148.294° | 35.0 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
A magnitude 4.5 seismic event took place 50 km E of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea on September 23, 2026 at 22:31 UTC. The event was offshore. See the M4.5 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-20 2026-09-20 12:45:53 UTC | 5.4mww | 68 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea -5.771°, 146.204° | 116.0 km | 7 | III | green | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake was recorded 68 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea on September 20, 2026 at 12:45 UTC. This event falls inside the aftershock decay of a nearby magnitude 6.4 earthquake that occurred about 3 hours earlier. The USGS PAGER system assigned a green alert level for this event, signalling no significant casualties or damage expected. See the M5.4 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-20 2026-09-20 09:17:35 UTC | 6.4mww | 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea -5.902°, 146.092° | 104.3 km | 30 | V | green | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
On September 20, 2026 at 09:17 UTC, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea. The USGS PAGER system assigned a green alert level for this event, signalling no significant casualties or damage expected. It is the largest earthquake currently listed for Papua New Guinea over the past 30 days. See the M6.4 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-16 2026-09-16 19:37:05 UTC | 4.6mb | 43 km SE of Madang, Papua New Guinea -5.540°, 146.017° | 59.9 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
Reports of a magnitude 4.6 earthquake 43 km SE of Madang, Papua New Guinea came in on September 16, 2026 at 19:37 UTC. The event was offshore. See the M4.6 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-16 2026-09-16 00:31:39 UTC | 4.2mb | 123 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea -5.609°, 147.265° | 136.6 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake was recorded 123 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea on September 16, 2026 at 00:31 UTC. See the M4.2 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-14 2026-09-14 22:06:53 UTC | 5.0mb | 68 km NW of Lae, Papua New Guinea -6.264°, 146.580° | 120.5 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
On September 14, 2026, Papua New Guinea registered a magnitude 5.0 earthquake 68 km NW of Lae, Papua New Guinea at 22:06 UTC. The event was offshore. See the M5.0 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-14 2026-09-14 06:19:11 UTC | 4.5mb | 97 km NNE of Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea -5.059°, 144.608° | 99.2 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
September 14, 2026 brought a magnitude 4.5 earthquake 97 km NNE of Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea, logged at 06:19 UTC. See the M4.5 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
2026-09-08 2026-09-08 19:43:47 UTC | 4.0mb | 185 km SW of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea -3.157°, 146.036° | 10.0 km | - | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
Seismographs logged a magnitude 4.0 earthquake 185 km SW of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea with origin time 19:43 UTC on September 8, 2026. This is the shallowest earthquake in the current dataset — a shallow crustal event. See the M4.0 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
Legend:
Mag: Magnitude (magType = ml, mb, mw, etc.)
Felt: Number of DYFI felt reports
MMI: Modified Mercalli Intensity (I-X+)
Alert: PAGER alert level
Depth: Shallow (<70km), Intermediate, Deep (>300km)
Status: Auto = preliminary, Reviewed = verified by seismologist
Click any row to see additional technical details.
Earthquake Statistics
Last 24 Hours2
Last 30 Days13
2026 (M2.5+)320
Largest (30 Days)
M6.4
49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea
2026-09-20
Largest in 2026
M6.4
49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea
2026-09-20
Data from USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Updated every 5 minutes.
About Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire at the collision zone of multiple tectonic plates, experiencing frequent large earthquakes.
Papua New Guinea Earthquakes 2026
In 2026, Papua New Guinea has recorded 320 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater so far. The largest earthquake in Papua New Guinea in 2026 was a magnitude 6.4 event near Kainantu, Papua New Guinea.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many earthquakes occur in Papua New Guinea?
In the past 30 days, 13 earthquakes have been recorded in the Papua New Guinea region.
What was the biggest recent earthquake in Papua New Guinea?
The largest recent earthquake in the Papua New Guinea area was a magnitude 6.4 event that occurred 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea.
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