M5.7 Earthquake: 82 km NE of Kiunga, Papua New Guinea

Updated 11:27 UTC · 29 Oct 2026

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 82 km NE of Kiunga, Papua New Guinea at 03:26 UTC on 29 Oct 2026, at a depth of 10 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.

M5.7

Magnitude (USGS)

10 km

Depth

shallow

GREEN

USGS PAGER impact alert

estimated impact

Aftershocks M2.5+ so far

within 50 km

[ fig. 1 ] M5.7 EPICENTRE, AFTERSHOCKS AND PAST QUAKESThis quakeAftershock M5+AftershockPast M6+

USGS · updated 11:27 UTC 2026-10-29Tap a point for details · pinch or ctrl + scroll to zoomTrack this live in the app ›

Nearest places

Kiunga, Western Province, Papua New Guinea82 km from the epicentre · quake was NE of here · population 11,53682 KM
Tari, Hela, Papua New Guinea117 km from the epicentre · quake was W of here · population 8,186117 KM
Mendi, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea201 km from the epicentre · quake was WNW of here · population 26,252201 KM
Mount Hagen, Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea259 km from the epicentre · quake was W of here · population 33,623259 KM
Wewak, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea306 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 18,230306 KM
Merauke, Indonesia352 km from the epicentre · quake was NNE of here · population 117,000352 KM
Jayapura, Indonesia376 km from the epicentre · quake was SSE of here · population 411,000376 KM
Timika, Indonesia591 km from the epicentre · quake was ESE of here · population 143,000591 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.

At 10 km it was a very shallow quake: shallow quakes shake the ground above them hardest, so local damage depends on how close towns are.

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 VII on the Modified Mercalli scale (very 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
Tabubil	10,270	IV (light)
Kiunga	8,265	IV (light)
Ningerum	5,000	IV (light)
Olsobip	1,000	IV (light)

Aftershocks

This page counts quakes of M2.5 or more within 50 km after the main shock, from the USGS catalog (last checked 11:27 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 284 quakes of M5 or more within 250 km of this epicentre, about 5.7 a year. Since 1900 the same circle had 57 quakes of M5.7 or larger.

Largest earlier quakes within 250 km, USGS catalog since 1900 (M6+).
Magnitude	Place (USGS)	Date	Depth
M7.8	New Guinea, Papua New Guinea	1935-09-20	30 km
M7.5	32 km SW of Tari, Papua New Guinea	2018-02-25	25 km
M7.5	93 km SW of Aitape, Papua New Guinea	1917-07-29	35 km
M7.1	214 km NW of Kiunga, Papua New Guinea	1976-06-25	33 km
M7.0	55 km NNW of Ambunti, Papua New Guinea	1935-09-20	35 km
M7.0	40 km ESE of Ambunti, Papua New Guinea	2023-04-02	70 km
M6.9	105 km SSW of Ialibu, Papua New Guinea	1922-01-19	15 km
M6.9	36 km ENE of Ambunti, Papua New Guinea	2024-03-23	41 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: mb. USGS last updated this event on 29 Oct 2026 at 05:32 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 Kiunga, Papua New Guinea?

USGS measured it at magnitude 5.7 (mb), 10 km deep. The strongest estimated shaking was intensity VII (very strong). Quakes of M5 to 5.9 are classed as moderate.

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.

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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 11:27 UTC, 2026-10-29. Full list: data sources and method.