Reviewed by USGSSolomon Islands58y ago
M5.8 earthquake 68 km WNW of Buala, Solomon Islands
Monday, January 13, 1969, 08:55:05 UTC · 7.967°S, 158.999°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 68 km WNW of Buala, Solomon Islands on Monday, January 13, 1969, 08:55:05 UTC, at a depth of 50.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on January 5, 1969.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 50 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
6 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 13 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
175 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
50 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 64 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 · 232 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.562 km SW of Malango, Solomon IslandsJanuary 25, 1926 · 235 km S of this epicenter
- 7.341 km ESE of Malango, Solomon IslandsFebruary 19, 1906 · 243 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.361 km NW of Gizo, Solomon IslandsApril 19, 1936 · 277 km W of this epicenter
- 7.358 km SSE of Malango, Solomon IslandsAugust 18, 1968 · 267 km S of this epicenter
- 7.178 km W of Buala, Solomon IslandsJanuary 5, 1969 · 13 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1110 km SE of Gizo, Solomon IslandsMarch 27, 1926 · 198 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 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 · 150 km away
12 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1926M6.9
Solomon Islands
16 Sep 1926 · 198 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1926M7.5
Guadalcanal
25 Jan 1926 · 234 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1969M7.5
Santa Isabel Island
5 Jan 1969 · 13 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1935M7.6
Solomon Islands
15 Dec 1935 · 300 km away
- 1950M7.3
Solomon Sea
8 Nov 1950 · 233 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.