LIGHT EARTHQUAKE
39 km NNW of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 39 km NNW of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea on 27 Aug 2026, 23:50 UTC. The hypocentre was 266.7 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. 10 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.
- Depth
- 266.7 km
- Latitude
- 3.89°S
- Time
- 23:50 UTC
- Magnitude
- M4.5
intermediate
151.99°E longitude
27 Aug 2026
mb
EPICENTRE
MAGNITUDE 4.5
Noticeable shaking of indoor objects. Damage is unlikely.
The scale is logarithmic: this released about 180 times the energy of a magnitude 3.0, roughly the energy of 85 tonnes of TNT.
266.7 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
10 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 5.5.
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