International Disaster and Emergency Monitoring Center

Preliminary earthquake data and analysis


Earthquake Report
Base data
Event ID 1550329
Event time 2026-01-14 15:29:03 (UTC)
Local time 2026-01-14 05:29:03 - [It was morning in the affected area.]
Last update 2026-01-14 16:03:59 (UTC)
Magnitude 5
Depth 180.43 km
Class Moderate
Hypocenter Medium deep
Mercalli scale 5
Possible effects Almost everyone feels movement. Sleeping people are awakened. Doors swing open or close. Dishes are broken. Pictures on the wall move. Small objects move or are turned over. Trees might shake. Liquids might spill out of open containers.
Data status confirmed
Data provider AuGOV

Location
Continent Indonesian Archipelago
Country Papua New Guinea
Administration area Morobe
Nearest settlement Lae
Distance 131 km
Course N
Surface type underwater quake
Tsunami region South Pacific
Water surface name Bismarck Sea



Risk Analisys
Nearest nuclear power plants
There is no known nuclear power plant nearby.
Nearest marine ports
Lae (131,69 km), Madang (147,06 km)
Nearest airports
Long Island Airport (22,64 km), Wasu Airport (47,10 km), Yalumet Airport (60,89 km), Tapen Airstrip (61,72 km), Bunguwat Airstrip (65,97 km)
Nearest volcanoes
Long Island volcano (20,98 km), Crown Island volcano (50,36 km), Tolokiwa volcano (58,62 km), Hankow Reef volcano (84,92 km), Umboi volcano (85,78 km)
Quick Analysis
According to the epicenter of the quake, this is an underwater quake. Based on the data received, the formation of a tsunami is not conceivable on the basis of the high-depth hypocenter. Underwater landslides, volcanic activity, however, cannot be ruled out.