M6.4

USGS earthquake · M6.449 km NNE of Kainantu

🇵🇬 - Papua New Guinea

· 31 days ago

Map centered on the earthquake at 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea, with a marker at its epicenterKainantuMadangGorokaLaeGabensisOpen in Apple Maps ↗
Shaking intensity
  1. IV
  2. V

Strongest contour: Moderate (V). Modelled by USGS ShakeMap; contours show where shaking was expected to reach each level, not damage.

Depth104.3 km
Origin timeSep 20, 2026, 9:17 AM UTC
Coordinates-5.902, 146.092
Tsunami flagNot reported
Estimated shakingModerate (V)Modelled by USGS ShakeMap
Reported shakingStrong (VI)From 30 public reports
Magnitude scaleMoment magnitude
SolutionReviewed by a seismologist
Who felt it

People in the shaking

In the modelled area1.5 million
At light shaking or above1.5 million
  1. VModerate291,000
  2. IVLight1.2 million
Nearby towns and the shaking modelled for each
PlacePopulationShaking
Kainantu7,000V
Madang62,000IV
Goroka22,000IV
Lae193,000IV
Gabensis2,000IV

Past earthquakes here. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake 6 km nw of this event struck UK on October 13, 1993 (UTC), with estimated population exposures of 286,000 at intensity VII and 30,000 at intensity VIII, resulting in a reported 60 fatalities.

Local buildings. Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) and unreinforced brick masonry construction.

Population and intensity modelled by USGS PAGER. Estimates, not a count of people affected.

Official source

U.S. Geological Survey

Terremoto preserves this event snapshot for a stable public link. USGS remains the authoritative source for revisions and scientific details. Shaking contours and population estimates come from USGS ShakeMap and PAGER, which revise them as more data arrives.

View the USGS record ↗