Under land 90 kilometer from Kimbe in Papua New Guinea, a significant MAG-5.4 earthquake occurred in the night of Wednesday July 1st, 2026. Roughly 700 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Papua New Guinea, 90 kilometer (56 mi) east of Kimbe in West New Britain. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jul 1, 2026 00:41 (Port Moresby Time) - Jun 30, 2026 14:41 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 90 km east of Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 5°43'37"S 150°56'2"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.4 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | V
Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Minimal impact predicted
Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.
The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.
Roughly 700 thousand people exposed to shaking
An estimated 700 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.
Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 160,300 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 420 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Papua New Guinea .
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 118,800 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 419,000 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 160,300 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 0 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 0 | VI |
Strong | Light |
| 0 | VII |
Very Strong | Moderate |
| 0 | VIII |
Severe | Moderate to heavy |
| 0 | IX |
Violent | Heavy |
| 0 | X |
Extreme | Very heavy |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Papua New Guinea . Kimbe in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 90 kilometer (56 mi) east of Kimbe. The intensity of shaking and damage in Kimbe is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 90 km (56 mi) W from epicenter |
Kimbe West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
III
Weak |
| 213 km (132 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
III
Weak |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is V.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 June 25th, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 270 km (168 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on May 14th, 2019.
In total, 132 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 28 days.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. 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 | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 30/06/26 18:18 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000t978
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260630_0000191
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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