M 5.2 Earthquake 139 km SW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea

Source: USGS · Papua New Guinea

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 139 km SW of Kokopo. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M5.2 is classified "Moderate". Among the 1,834 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M5.2 event ranks stronger than 74% of them (rank #362 by magnitude).

30 seconds on this earthquake report

Magnitude
M 5.2
USGS class
Moderate
Location
139 km SW of Kokopo
Archive rank
#362 of 1,834
Source
USGS
Published
September 24, 2026
MODERATE

Stronger than 74% of the 1,834 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive, weaker than 361 others.

Record status: USGS's reading at the moment of detection — the agency keeps revising magnitude, aftershock counts, and felt reports on its own event page as more data arrives.

What Happened

A M 5.2 mb earthquake struck 139 km SW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea on 2026-10-22 at 12:29:58 UTC. The event occurred at a depth of 95.598 km.

Location Details

The earthquake was located at coordinates latitude -5.3396, longitude 151.4915. This depth classifies it as a deep earthquake (greater than 70 km).

Impact Assessment

No felt reports were recorded. There was no tsunami advisory (tsunami flag: 0) and no alert level assigned.

What You Should Know

This was a moderate earthquake that can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings. Minor aftershocks are possible following such events.

Source

Data from USGS: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000txbm

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

All Earthquakes →

Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Beyond this USGS earthquake report's own category, Areazine surfaces two nationwide peer sets: length-matched and severity/date-matched notices from elsewhere in the archive, distinct from the same-feed Related list above.

What People Ask

What people usually ask about a notice like this one.

What magnitude was this earthquake? ▾
A magnitude 5.2 mb earthquake occurred 139 km southwest of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea at a depth of 95.6 km.
How should a magnitude 5.2 ("Moderate") event be understood? ▾
The USGS classifies M5.2 as "Moderate" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are felt over a wide area and can cause significant damage near the epicenter, particularly to older or unreinforced buildings.
Is this earthquake stronger or weaker than others in the archive? ▾
This is the #362 strongest of the 1,834 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 74% of them and weaker than 361 others.
Was Kokopo likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 139 km SW of Kokopo. Shaking intensity falls off sharply with distance from the epicenter and depends on depth and local geology, so check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data rather than assuming from magnitude and distance alone.