A shallow magnitude 3.9 earthquake was reported early morning near Papunya, MacDonnell, Northern Territory, Australia.According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake hit on Friday, May 22nd, 2026, at 1:39 am local time at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Papunya (pop. 380) located 24 miles from the epicenter, and Yuendumu (pop. 700) 42 miles away.Earthquake data: Date & time: 2026-05-22 02:09 local time (21 May 2026 16:39 GMT)Magnitude: 3.9Depth: 10.00 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 22.86°S / 131.84°E (Central Desert, Northern Territory, Australia)Primary data source: GeoAu