Earthquake.now

M6.0 Earthquake near Kokopo, Papua New Guinea — 16 September 2025

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.0 was recorded near Kokopo, Papua New Guinea on , with an epicentre 206 km southeast of Kokopo, at a focal depth of 77.7 km. It was the strongest of the 24 earthquakes recorded in Papua New Guinea in the preceding 30 days.

6.0 Strong

Time (UTC): 2025-09-16 16:59:51

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 6.0 (strong)

Focal depth: 77.7 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: -5.4693, 153.7520

Location: 206 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea

Country: Papua New Guinea

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Strong earthquakes can cause significant damage in populated areas within roughly 100 km of the epicentre, particularly to older masonry buildings. Landslides and liquefaction become a real risk in susceptible ground.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15,080 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 554, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 03:14 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.

This event was deeper than 64% of the 549 earthquakes recorded in Papua New Guinea in our catalogue and stronger than 98% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -5.4693, 153.7520 — 206 km southeast of Kokopo. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 5.4 earthquake 5 km northwest of here on 29 March 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Arawa (188 km east-northeast), Rabaul (214 km northwest), Kimbe (220 km west-southwest) and Kieta (235 km northeast).

Why the 78 km depth matters

At 78 km this was an intermediate-depth earthquake. Energy from events at this depth spreads out before it reaches the surface, which usually means weaker shaking near the epicentre than a shallow quake of the same magnitude, but shaking felt across a wider area.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size can produce strong, widely felt shaking. Its intermediate depth normally reduces peak shaking near the epicentre compared with a shallow event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M6.0 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.7.

143 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.9 event near Kimbe on 04 April 2025. This M6.0 event released about 22 times less energy than that event.

15 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 1 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the September 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Papua New Guinea during September 2025. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Papua New Guinea

All recorded earthquakes in Papua New Guinea →

Other magnitude 6 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 6 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Kokopo?

It measured magnitude 6.0 — a strong earthquake. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15,080 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Kokopo?

The focus was 78 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Kokopo earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 6.0 and a focal depth of 78 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Kokopo happen?

16 September 2025 at 16:59 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.7.

How often do earthquakes happen near Kokopo?

143 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.9 event near Kimbe on 04 April 2025. This M6.0 event released about 22 times less energy than that event.