Papua New Guinea Earthquake Today — Live Map & Recent Quakes

Track Papua New Guinea earthquake today in real time with live map data and latest tremors updated every 60s from USGS. Papua New Guinea is one of the world's most seismically active countries, sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Quakes Today

2

Past 7 Days

6

Strongest (7d)

M5.7

M5+ Events

2

Live Papua New Guinea Earthquake Map

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Earthquakes in Papua New Guinea

6 events · Past 7 Days

  • M4.9

    175 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

    88 km deep

    6h ago

  • M4.5

    135 km SW of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea

    10 km deep

    9h ago

  • M5.1

    97 km NNE of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea

    116 km deep

    3d ago

  • M4.3

    111 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

    183 km deep

    3d ago

  • M5.7

    82 km NE of Kiunga, Papua New Guinea

    10 km deep

    4d ago

  • M4.9

    69 km WSW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands

    35 km deep

    6d ago

Seismic Hazard Profile

About Earthquake Activity in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore archipelagos in the southwestern Pacific. It is one of the most seismically and volcanically volatile nations on Earth, registering dozens of magnitude 6+ earthquakes every decade.

Why does Papua New Guinea experience earthquakes?

Papua New Guinea is trapped between the massive northward-moving Australian Plate and the west-northwest moving Pacific Plate. Caught between these two giant plates are numerous dynamic microplates, including the South Bismarck, North Bismarck, Solomon Sea, and Woodlark plates. The rapid subduction of the Solomon Sea Plate beneath New Britain along the New Britain Trench, combined with active seafloor spreading in the Woodlark Basin and collision in the New Guinea Highlands, produces severe shallow crustal faulting and intense offshore megathrust quakes.

Key Facts About Papua New Guinea Seismicity

Seismic Risk Level
ExtremeHazard Zone
Population Exposed

~10 million

Primary Seismology Agency

PMGO / USGS

Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory

Major Faults & Trenches
  • New Britain Trench
  • Ramu-Markham Fault Zone
  • Solomon Sea Subduction Zone
  • Manus Trench
Tectonic Setting

Complex microplate convergence between Australian and Pacific Plates

Notable Historic Quakes
  • 2018 Hela (Highlands) EarthquakeM7.5
  • 1998 Aitape Earthquake & TsunamiM7.0
  • 2022 Kainantu (Morobe) EarthquakeM7.6
FAQ · Papua New Guinea

Frequently Asked Questions About Earthquakes in Papua New Guinea

Expert answers to common questions about seismic risks, fault lines, and earthquake activity in Papua New Guinea.

Our live feed tracks earthquakes across Papua New Guinea, New Britain, Bougainville, and the Bismarck Sea over the past 24 hours.

PNG sits atop a complex tectonic collision involving multiple microplates (South Bismarck, North Bismarck, Woodlark, and Solomon Sea plates) caught between the major Australian and Pacific plates.

On February 26, 2018, a powerful magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Hela Province in the Southern Highlands, triggering catastrophic landslides that isolated remote communities and damaged critical infrastructure.

Yes. Undersea quakes and earthquake-induced submarine landslides in the Bismarck Sea and Solomon Sea have historically triggered destructive local tsunamis, such as the 1998 Aitape tsunami.

Immediately move inland and toward higher elevation if you feel strong shaking or observe unusual receding water along the shoreline, without waiting for official warnings.