Reviewed by USGSSolomon Islands101y ago
M7.1 earthquake 110 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands
Saturday, March 27, 1926, 10:48:38 UTC · 8.894°S, 157.462°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 110 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands on Saturday, March 27, 1926, 10:48:38 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on January 25, 1926.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
674 kilotons of TNT
That is about 45 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,413 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
3 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Pacific and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 6 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.562 km SW of Malango, Solomon IslandsJanuary 25, 1926 · 238 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0147 km SSW of Gizo, Solomon IslandsMay 7, 1920 · 127 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.7112 km S of Panguna, Papua New GuineaJuly 21, 1918 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.339 km N of Gizo, Solomon IslandsJune 16, 1918 · 147 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.1128 km S of Panguna, Papua New GuineaJuly 12, 1917 · 286 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.062 km SSE of Panguna, Papua New GuineaJuly 21, 1918 · 297 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1926M6.9
Solomon Islands
16 Sep 1926 · 242 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1926M7.5
Guadalcanal
25 Jan 1926 · 232 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.