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4.3MAG

LIGHT EARTHQUAKE

64 km NNW of Lae, Papua New Guinea

USGS

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 64 km NNW of Lae, Papua New Guinea on 23 Aug 2026, 10:44 UTC. The hypocentre was 99.1 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. 4 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.

Depth
99.1 km

intermediate

Latitude
6.18°S

146.80°E longitude

Time
10:44 UTC

23 Aug 2026

Magnitude
M4.3

mb

EPICENTRE

View the official report

MAGNITUDE 4.3

Noticeable shaking of indoor objects. Damage is unlikely.

The scale is logarithmic: this released about 89 times the energy of a magnitude 3.0, roughly the energy of 43 tonnes of TNT.

99.1 KM DEEP

At this depth the energy spreads before it reaches the surface. Shaking is usually weaker than a shallow earthquake of the same size, but it can be felt across a wider area.

NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS

4 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 5.4.

OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES

M4.3 earthquake — Lae, Papua New Guinea · Quakewire