MODERATE EARTHQUAKE
172 km NE of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 172 km NE of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea on 20 Aug 2026, 13:55 UTC. The hypocentre was 10 km below the surface — shallow by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far.
- Depth
- 10 km
- Latitude
- 1.14°S
- Time
- 13:55 UTC
- Magnitude
- M5.0
shallow
148.55°E longitude
20 Aug 2026
mb
EPICENTRE
MAGNITUDE 5.0
Can damage poorly constructed buildings; well-built structures usually escape with little harm.
The scale is logarithmic: this released about 32 times the energy of a magnitude 4.0, roughly the energy of 477 tonnes of TNT.
10 KM DEEP
Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly, and do more damage, than deeper earthquakes of the same magnitude.
OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES
18 Sept 2026, 02:12 UTC · 36.3 km deep
18 Sept 2026, 01:29 UTC · 106 km deep
18 Sept 2026, 01:07 UTC · 53.9 km deep
17 Sept 2026, 22:11 UTC · 82.7 km deep