On Sunday Evening a Significant M5.4 AFTERSHOCK struck near Madang in Papua New Guinea.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 20th, 2026.

In the evening of Sunday September 20th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.4 aftershock hit under land 77 kilometer from Madang in Papua New Guinea. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.3 million people.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Papua New Guinea, 77 kilometer (48 mi) south-east of Madang. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 116 km.

Date and Time:	Sep 20, 2026 22:45 (Port Moresby Time) - Sep 20, 2026 12:45 Universal Time.
Location:	77 km SE of Madang, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 5°46'16"S 146°12'15"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 .
Depth:	116 km (72 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. 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 1.3 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 1.3 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 302,700 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1 million). 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
0	II	Very weak	None
973,700	III	Weak	Probably none
302,700	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 . Located 77 kilometer (48 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Madang (Madang, Papua New Guinea) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Madang is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
77 km (48 mi) NW from epicenter	Madang Madang, Papua New Guinea.	IV Light
97 km (60 mi) W from epicenter	Goroka Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea.	III Weak
137 km (85 mi) SE from epicenter	Lae Morobe, Papua New Guinea.
166 km (103 mi) S from epicenter	Bulolo Morobe, Papua New Guinea.
219 km (136 mi) W from epicenter	Mount Hagen Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea.
285 km (177 mi) W from epicenter	Mendi Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 4 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within Papua New Guinea.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Goroka, Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea: 2 people.
Madang, Madang, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.
Mount Hagen, Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 6.4 earthquake struck 19 km (12 mi) southwest in advance of this 5.4 earthquake around 3 hrs earlier.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock	M 6.4	Sep 20, 2026 19:17 (Port Moresby Time)	-
Aftershock This Earthquake	M 5.4	3 hrs later Sep 20, 2026 22:45 (Port Moresby Time)	19 km (12 mi) NE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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. In total, 88 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 month.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. 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 on land near a coastal area (22 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 116 km (72 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 20/09/26 16:08 (). 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.