Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea24d ago
M5.4 earthquake 52 km W of Bulolo, Papua New Guinea
Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 20:04:32 UTC · 7.145°S, 146.170°E
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 52 km W of Bulolo, Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 20:04:32 UTC, at a depth of 60.6 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on August 16, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.4
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 61 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
77 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Woodlark and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
61 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.
- IV · Light shaking
- 308,000 people
- III · Weak shaking
- 732,000 people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- BuloloPopulation 20,000IV · Light
- WauPopulation 9,400III · Weak
- LaePopulation 193,000III · Weak
- GabensisPopulation 1,700III · Weak
- KainantuPopulation 6,700III · Weak
- KeremaPopulation 6,600III · Weak
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,102 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.01906 Papua New Guinea EarthquakeSeptember 14, 1906 · 152 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.638 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaOctober 2, 1906 · 181 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.670 km E of Kainantu, Papua New GuineaSeptember 10, 2022 · 101 km N of this epicenter
- 7.548 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaMay 12, 1938 · 185 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.549 km WSW of Wau, Papua New GuineaFebruary 26, 1963 · 45 km S of this epicenter
- 7.492 km WSW of Kandrian, Papua New GuineaMay 6, 1947 · 295 km E of this epicenter
- 7.454 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaFebruary 8, 1987 · 205 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2117 km N of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaDecember 22, 1997 · 262 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 213 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1988M4.3
Kaiapit (Landslide Generated)
6 Sep 1988 · 121 km away
74 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1993M6.9
Eastern: Upper Markham Valley
13 Oct 1993 · 141 km away
60 deaths$5 million damage
- 2002M5.3
Morobe
1 Apr 2002 · 174 km away
36 deaths
- 2022M7.6
Morobe, Eastern Highlands
10 Sep 2022 · 102 km away · intensity VIII
21 deaths$15 million damage
- 1970M7.3
Madang
31 Oct 1970 · 261 km away · intensity VIII
18 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1987M7.6
Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island
8 Feb 1987 · 205 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$3 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.