A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the Bismarck Sea 120 kilometer from Lae, Papua New Guinea in the night of Thursday January 15th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Bismarck Sea, 22 kilometers (14 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 120 kilometer north of Lae in Morobe. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 173 km.
| Date and Time: | Jan 15, 2026 01:29 (Port Moresby Time) - Jan 14, 2026 15:29 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 120 km north of Lae, Morobe, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 5°39'4"S 147°7'12"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 32 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.101 . |
| Depth: | 173 km (107 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Papua New Guinea . Located 120 kilometer (75 mi) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, Lae (Morobe, Papua New Guinea) is the nearest significant population center.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 120 km (75 mi) S from epicenter |
Lae Morobe, Papua New Guinea. |
| 155 km (96 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Madang Madang, Papua New Guinea. |
| 181 km (112 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Bulolo Morobe, Papua New Guinea. |
| 198 km (123 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Goroka Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. |
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 28 km (17 mi) north-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 5 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.2
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
1 day earlier Jan 13, 2026 16:33 (Port Moresby Time) | 64 km (40 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jan 15, 2026 01:29 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
5 hrs later Jan 15, 2026 06:30 (Port Moresby Time) | 28 km (17 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 5th, 2026, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 57 km (36 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on September 10th, 2022.
In total, 135 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 27 days.
Tsunami very unlikely
For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 173 km (107 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 19/01/26 14:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rpmy
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260114_0000197
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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