MODERATE EARTHQUAKE
69 km NW of Lae, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 69 km NW of Lae, Papua New Guinea on 14 Sept 2026, 22:06 UTC. The hypocentre was 119.8 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far. 1 other earthquake above our reporting threshold has been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.
- Depth
- 119.8 km
- Latitude
- 6.31°S
- Time
- 22:06 UTC
- Magnitude
- M5.0
intermediate
146.53°E longitude
14 Sept 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.
119.8 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
1 earthquake above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 4.6.
OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES
17 Sept 2026, 06:48 UTC · 10 km deep
17 Sept 2026, 06:42 UTC · 10 km deep
17 Sept 2026, 06:32 UTC · 36.7 km deep
17 Sept 2026, 06:20 UTC · 24 km deep