Strong M6.4 earthquake hits near the coast of Papua New Guinea
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.4 hit near the coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea at 15:05 UTC. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Epicenter of M6.4 earthquake near the coast of New Britain, Papua New Guinea on May 20, 2025. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located in East Sepik Province, 81 km (50 miles) ENE of Angoram (population 1 604), 130 km (81 miles) ESE of Wewak (population 18 230), and 190 km (118 miles) NW of Madang (population 27 419), Papua New Guinea.
5 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 34 000 moderate, and 898 000 light.
There is no tsunami threat associated with this earthquake, based on its location and available data.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) and unreinforced brick masonry construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Papua New Guinea sits on the complex boundary between the Australian and Pacific Plates, a region known for high seismic activity due to frequent subduction and transform fault movements.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.4 earthquake Papua New Guinea – USGS – May 20, 2025
2 M6.4 earthquake Papua New Guinea – EMSC – May 20, 2025
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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