Reviewed by USGSSolomon Islands63y ago
M7.4 earthquake 28 km NW of Lata, Solomon Islands
Sunday, September 15, 1963, 00:46:55 UTC · 10.522°S, 165.642°E
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 28 km NW of Lata, Solomon Islands on Sunday, September 15, 1963, 00:46:55 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on December 17, 1957.
- Magnitude
- 7.4
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very 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
1.9 megatons of TNT
That is about 126 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3,981 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
105 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
35 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 M7.2 on September 17, 1963. 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 76 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8186 km NNW of Sola, VanuatuDecember 17, 1957 · 239 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7138 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsJuly 18, 1934 · 167 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.454 km ESE of Lata, Solomon IslandsMay 17, 1941 · 78 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.345 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsJuly 21, 1934 · 73 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1130 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsNovember 16, 1944 · 158 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1146 km NW of Sola, VanuatuNovember 4, 1953 · 298 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0143 km NNW of Sola, VanuatuOctober 15, 1921 · 283 km SE 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. The most severe:
- 1934M7.8
Santa Cruz Islands
18 Jul 1934 · 194 km away
tsunami
- 1957M7.8
Santa Cruz Islands
17 Dec 1957 · 229 km away
- 1909M7.7
Solomon Islands
9 Dec 1909 · 91 km away
- 1900M7.6
Santa Cruz Islands
29 Jul 1900 · 91 km away
- 1963M7.5
Solomon Islands
15 Sep 1963 · 15 km away
- 1963M7.5
Solomon Islands
17 Sep 1963 · 36 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.