A shallow and significant MAG-5.3 aftershock struck in the Solomon Sea 225 kilometer from Arawa, Papua New Guinea in the early afternoon of Thursday July 30th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 123 kilometers (76 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 225 kilometer west of Arawa in Bougainville. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jul 30, 2026 12:46 (Port Moresby Time) - Jul 30, 2026 02:46 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 225 km west of Arawa, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 5°48'40"S 153°34'47"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 54 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.079 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Papua New Guinea . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Kokopo in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Kokopo is located 218 kilometer (135 mi) south-east of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 218 km (135 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
| 225 km (140 mi) E from epicenter |
Arawa Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. |
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 1 day before this earthquake hit, a larger 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck 7 km (4 mi) northwest of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.3 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.7 |
2 days earlier Jul 27, 2026 14:40 (Port Moresby Time) | 48 km (30 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.4 |
Jul 29, 2026 06:27 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
1 day later Jul 30, 2026 12:45 (Port Moresby Time) | 14 km (9 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
1 day later Jul 30, 2026 12:46 (Port Moresby Time) | 7 km (4 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
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. In total, 168 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 22 days.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 30/07/26 23:08 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tgva
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260730_0000040
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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