M6.2 Earthquake: 86 km SSE of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

Updated 09:05 UTC · 29 Oct 2026

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 86 km SSE of Panguna, Papua New Guinea at 14:07 UTC on 11 Oct 2026, at a depth of 31 km, reported by USGS. USGS PAGER issued a green alert: little or no damage and a low chance of deaths. USGS did not set a tsunami flag for this quake. No M2.5+ aftershock had been listed within 50 km when this page was updated.

M6.2

Magnitude (USGS)

mww

31 km

Depth

shallow

GREEN

USGS PAGER impact alert

estimated impact

Aftershocks M2.5+ so far

within 50 km

[ fig. 1 ] M6.2 EPICENTRE, AFTERSHOCKS AND PAST QUAKESThis quakeAftershock M5+AftershockPast M6+

USGS · updated 09:05 UTC 2026-10-29Tap a point for details · pinch or ctrl + scroll to zoomTrack this live in the app ›

Nearest places

Panguna, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea86 km from the epicentre · quake was SSE of here · population 2,91686 KM
Arawa, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea93 km from the epicentre · quake was SSE of here · population 40,26693 KM
Gizo, Western Province, Solomon Islands168 km from the epicentre · quake was NW of here · population 7,177168 KM
Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea488 km from the epicentre · quake was SE of here · population 26,273488 KM
Malango, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands526 km from the epicentre · quake was NW of here · population 10,532526 KM

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Strongest aftershocks so far

No M2.5+ aftershock listed yet.

Key context

Tectonic setting

New Guinea and New Britain. Papua New Guinea lies in a zone of small, fast-moving plates between the Australian and Pacific plates. The New Britain Trench is one of the most active subduction zones on Earth, and the highlands have large thrust quakes such as the M7.5 event of February 2018.

The USGS moment tensor shows thrust (reverse) faulting: one block of crust was pushed up and over the other, the typical motion where plates converge.

At 31 km it was a shallow quake (USGS counts 0 to 70 km as shallow). Most damaging quakes are in this range.

Shaking and impact

USGS PAGER estimates the impact from the shaking and the number of people exposed. For this quake it issued a green alert: little or no damage and a low chance of deaths (fatality alert: green, economic loss alert: green). PAGER is an early estimate and can change as reports come in.

The USGS ShakeMap estimates the strongest shaking at intensity VI on the Modified Mercalli scale (strong).

USGS had no "Did You Feel It?" reports for this quake when this page was updated; remote and offshore quakes often get none.

Estimated shaking in nearby towns, from USGS PAGER.
Town	Population	Estimated intensity
Arawa	40,266	IV (light)
Kieta	6,958	IV (light)
Buin	750	V (moderate)

Aftershocks

This page counts quakes of M2.5 or more within 50 km after the main shock, from the USGS catalog (last checked 09:05 UTC, 29 Oct 2026): 0 aftershocks so far.

Aftershocks are normal after a quake of this size. They usually become less frequent over days and weeks, but a strong aftershock can still happen, and in a few sequences a later quake is larger. No one can predict their exact time or size; follow the official agency for your area.

Earthquake history within 250 km

Since 1976, USGS lists 1,109 quakes of M5 or more within 250 km of this epicentre, about 22 a year. Since 1900 the same circle had 117 quakes of M6.2 or larger.

Largest earlier quakes within 250 km, USGS catalog since 1900 (M6+).
Magnitude	Place (USGS)	Date	Depth
M8.1	2007 Solomon Islands Earthquake	2007-04-01	24 km
M7.9	35 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea	2017-01-22	135 km
M7.9	56 km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea	1975-07-20	49 km
M7.8	85 km S of Panguna, Papua New Guinea	1939-01-30	35 km
M7.7	155 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea	1995-08-16	30 km
M7.7	94 km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea	1975-07-20	44 km
M7.5	70 km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea	2014-04-19	43 km
M7.3	61 km NW of Gizo, Solomon Islands	1936-04-19	20 km

Official information

EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)
USGS event page for this quake (ShakeMap, PAGER, felt reports)
tsunami.gov for US tsunami bulletins

Data status

USGS review status: reviewed. Magnitude type: mww. USGS last updated this event on 22 Oct 2026 at 21:05 UTC. Magnitude, depth and location can still be revised; this page keeps the same address if they change.

Questions and answers

How strong was the earthquake near Panguna, Papua New Guinea?

USGS measured it at magnitude 6.2 (mww), 31 km deep. The strongest estimated shaking was intensity VI (strong). Quakes of M6 to 6.9 are classed as strong.

Was there a tsunami?

USGS did not set a tsunami flag for this quake. If you are on a coast and feel strong or long shaking, move to high ground anyway, and follow local officials.

Was the earthquake felt?

USGS had no felt reports when this page was updated. That is common for offshore and remote quakes. If you felt it, you can report it on the USGS event page.

Will there be more aftershocks?

Aftershocks are likely to continue for days to weeks, becoming less frequent over time. So far 0 aftershocks of M2.5+ have been listed. Most sequences do not produce a larger quake, but some do. No one can predict the time or size of the next one; follow EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre).

What should I do after a strong earthquake?

Expect aftershocks: Drop, Cover and Hold On when shaking starts again. Check for injuries and damage, stay out of damaged buildings, and use text messages instead of calls so emergency lines stay free. On a coast, move to high ground after strong shaking. Follow your local officials.

Related live pages

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Sources

USGS event page: magnitude, location, ShakeMap, PAGER and Did You Feel It? data for this event. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS ComCat (FDSN event web service): the USGS earthquake catalog, used for the 30-year counts, history and aftershocks. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS Geoserve: nearest places to the epicentre.
GeoNames: large-city coordinates, CC BY 4.0.

Page built 09:05 UTC, 2026-10-29. Full list: data sources and method.