M5.4 earthquake 69 km NNE of Kainantu, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 69 km NNE of Kainantu, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea at 22:45 local time (12:45 UTC) on 20 Sept 2026, at a depth of 116 km, according to USGS.
7 reports to USGS “Did You Feel It?”
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-24 16:18 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 5.4moderate
moment magnitude (W phase) (mww) - Depth
- 116 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-20 12:45:53 UTC
- Local: 20 Sept 2026, 22:45:53 (Pacific/Port Moresby)
- Epicentre
- 5.771° S, 146.204° E
Circles show this event and others within 63 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| KainantuEastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea · pop. 8,509 | 69 km | IIIWeak |
| MadangMadang Province, Papua New Guinea · pop. 27,419 | 77 km | IIIWeak |
| LaeMorobe Province, Papua New Guinea · pop. 76,255 | 137 km | IIIWeak |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 158 km.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGSheadlineUSGS NEIC via U.S. Geological Survey | 5.4 mww | 116 km | 5.77° S, 146.20° E | – | Reviewed |
How big was it?
Felt by most people over a wide area. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre.
It released roughly the energy of 1.9 kt of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 116 km this was a intermediate-depth earthquake, which spreads shaking over a wider area but less intensely.
M5.4 releases about 32× the energy of M4.4, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 1.9 kt of TNT vs 60 t of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M4.4. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
No later earthquakes have been recorded within 63 km so far. 2 in the 7 days before. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Event id us7000tirh. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:10 UTC. Solutions: USGS (usgs:us7000tirh). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M5.4 earthquake 69 km NNE of Kainantu, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/us7000tirh-m5-4-earthquake-69-km-nne-of-kainantu-eastern-highlands-province-papua-new, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/us7000tirh. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.