M 5.2 Earthquake Strikes 27 km WSW of Madang, Papua New Guinea
Areazine synthesizes this USGS earthquake report directly from USGS's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurred on September 10, 2026, at 22:27:53 UTC, centered 27 km west-southwest of Madang, Papua New Guinea, at a depth of 91 km.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on May 10, 2026 and geographically references Papua New Guinea. Its severity classification of "medium" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Earthquakes - determines the monitoring protocol behind it, which shapes what follow-up action (checking for structural damage, watching for aftershocks, reviewing local building codes) is relevant and which agency holds authority over the assessment.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are earthquake, seismic, usgs, Papua New Guinea.
What Happened
A magnitude 5.2 mww earthquake struck 27 km WSW of Madang, Papua New Guinea. The event occurred on September 10, 2026, at 22:27:53 UTC, with a depth of 91.215 km.
Location Details
The earthquake was located at coordinates latitude -5.3168 and longitude 145.5539, approximately 27 km west-southwest of Madang in Papua New Guinea. At a depth of 91.215 km, this is considered a deep earthquake, occurring more than 70 km below the surface, which typically results in less intense shaking at the surface compared to shallower events.
Impact Assessment
The earthquake was reported as felt by 2 people, with a Community Decimal Intensity (CDI) of 3.8. There is no tsunami advisory, as indicated by the data, and no alert level was issued.
What You Should Know
This moderate earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.2, may be followed by aftershocks, which are common after such events. For safety, individuals in affected areas should follow standard earthquake preparedness measures, such as dropping to the ground, covering your head and neck, and holding on until the shaking stops, especially in regions prone to seismic activity.
Source
Information is sourced from the USGS. For more details, visit: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000swr6
Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗
Related Earthquakes
All Earthquakes →Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8
Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (1,280 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to May 10, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.