Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea6d ago
M6.4 earthquake 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea
Sunday, September 20, 2026, 09:17:35 UTC · 5.902°S, 146.092°E
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea on Sunday, September 20, 2026, 09:17:35 UTC, at a depth of 104.3 km (intermediate). USGS received 30 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VI (strong). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.5 on December 22, 2025.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mww
- Depth
- 104 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 30
- Max intensity VI
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
60 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 126 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
24 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the South Bismarck and Woodlark plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: intermediate
104 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kainantu, Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea | V · Moderate | 6 | 114 km |
| Goroka, Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea | IV · Light | 6 | 132 km |
| Madang, Madang, Papua New Guinea | IV · Light | 4 | 132 km |
| Lae, Morobe, Papua New Guinea | IV · Light | 4 | 170 km |
| Port Moresby, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea | II · Weak | 4 | 426 km |
| Mount Hagen, Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea | IV · Light | 2 | 232 km |
| Wau, Morobe, Papua New Guinea | IV · Light | 1 | 200 km |
| Tari, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea | III · Weak | 1 | 365 km |
| Mendi, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea | II · Weak | 1 | 291 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.
- V · Moderate shaking
- 461,000 people
- IV · Light shaking
- 975,000 people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- KainantuPopulation 6,700V · Moderate
- MadangPopulation 62,000V · Moderate
- GorokaPopulation 22,000IV · Light
- GabensisPopulation 1,700IV · Light
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km since this event; the largest was M5.4 on September 20, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,396 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 · 130 km E of this epicenter
- 7.638 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaOctober 2, 1906 · 172 km E of this epicenter
- 7.670 km E of Kainantu, Papua New GuineaSeptember 10, 2022 · 63 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.548 km NW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaMay 12, 1938 · 166 km E of this epicenter
- 7.549 km WSW of Wau, Papua New GuineaFebruary 26, 1963 · 182 km S of this epicenter
- 7.454 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaFebruary 8, 1987 · 178 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2117 km N of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaDecember 22, 1997 · 202 km E of this epicenter
- 7.261 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New GuineaMay 15, 1992 · 165 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 26 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 · 23 km away
74 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1993M6.9
Eastern: Upper Markham Valley
13 Oct 1993 · 8 km away
60 deaths$5 million damage
- 2002M5.3
Morobe
1 Apr 2002 · 150 km away
36 deaths
- 2022M7.6
Morobe, Eastern Highlands
10 Sep 2022 · 63 km away · intensity VIII
21 deaths$15 million damage
- 1970M7.3
Madang
31 Oct 1970 · 130 km away · intensity VIII
18 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1987M7.6
Huon Peninsula, Umboi Island
8 Feb 1987 · 178 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$3 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.