In the morning of Friday September 25th, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit under land 83 kilometer from Lae in Papua New Guinea.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Papua New Guinea, 83 kilometer (52 mi) north-east of Lae in Morobe. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 54 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 25, 2026 09:30 (Port Moresby Time) - Sep 24, 2026 23:30 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 83 km NE of Lae, Morobe, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 6°5'11"S 147°23'37"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.086 . |
| Depth: | 54 km (33 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (14 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough 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 83 kilometer (52 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Lae (Morobe, Papua New Guinea) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 83 km (52 mi) SW from epicenter |
Lae Morobe, Papua New Guinea. |
| 150 km (93 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bulolo Morobe, Papua New Guinea. |
| 202 km (126 mi) NW from epicenter |
Madang Madang, Papua New Guinea. |
| 222 km (138 mi) W from epicenter |
Goroka Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. |
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 20th, 2026, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 136 km (85 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on September 10th, 2022.
In total, 97 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 month.
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 | This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (14 km from 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 54 km (33 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 25/09/26 22:18 (). 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 us6000txhp
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260924_0000334
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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