Reviewed by USGSSolomon Islands58y ago
M7.1 earthquake 78 km W of Buala, Solomon Islands
Sunday, January 5, 1969, 13:26:43 UTC · 8.019°S, 158.892°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 78 km W of Buala, Solomon Islands on Sunday, January 5, 1969, 13:26:43 UTC, at a depth of 61.2 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on August 18, 1968.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 61 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
722 kilotons of TNT
That is about 48 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,514 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
164 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Pacific and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
61 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on January 13, 1969. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 63 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.823 km SSE of Malango, Solomon IslandsApril 30, 1939 · 231 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.562 km SW of Malango, Solomon IslandsJanuary 25, 1926 · 231 km S of this epicenter
- 7.341 km ESE of Malango, Solomon IslandsFebruary 19, 1906 · 244 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.361 km NW of Gizo, Solomon IslandsApril 19, 1936 · 266 km W of this epicenter
- 7.358 km SSE of Malango, Solomon IslandsAugust 18, 1968 · 266 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1110 km SE of Gizo, Solomon IslandsMarch 27, 1926 · 185 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.133 km WNW of Malango, Solomon IslandsSeptember 16, 1926 · 180 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 12 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1939M7.9
Solomon Islands
30 Apr 1939 · 147 km away
12 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1926M6.9
Solomon Islands
16 Sep 1926 · 196 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1926M7.5
Guadalcanal
25 Jan 1926 · 230 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1969M7.5
Santa Isabel Island
5 Jan 1969 · 13 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1950M7.3
Solomon Sea
8 Nov 1950 · 230 km away
tsunami
- 1961M6.4
Solomon Islands
1 Aug 1961 · 278 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.