Strong M6.6 earthquake hits near Lae, Papua New Guinea
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit near Lae, Papua New Guinea, at 21:05 LT (11:05 UTC) on October 7, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 99 km (61 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.7 at a depth of 100 km (62 miles). No tsunami warnings have been issued.
Epicenter of M6.7 earthquake near Lae, Papua New Guinea on October 7, 2025. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 21.8 km (13.6 miles) west of Lae (population 76 255), 58.8 km (36.5 miles) north-northeast of Bulolo (population 16 042), and 71.6 km (44.5 miles) north of Wau (population 14 629), Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.
About 21 000 people are estimated to have felt strong shaking, 503 000 moderate, 1 844 000 light, and 150 000 weak.
Based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
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 and liquefaction that might have contributed to losses.
Liquefaction triggered by this earthquake is estimated to be significant in severity and/or spatial extent. The number of people living near areas that could have produced liquefaction in this earthquake is significant.
Little or no landsliding is expected, but some landslides could have occurred in highly susceptible areas. The number of people living near areas that could have produced landslides in this earthquake is low, but localized damage or fatalities remain possible in steep terrain.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.6 earthquake Papua New Guinea – USGS – October 7, 2025
2 M6.7 earthquake Papua New Guinea – EMSC – October 7, 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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