Reviewed by USGSSolomon Islands101y ago
M7.1 earthquake 33 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands
Thursday, September 16, 1926, 17:59:12 UTC · 9.531°S, 159.465°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 33 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands on Thursday, September 16, 1926, 17:59:12 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on April 12, 1926.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
651 kilotons of TNT
That is about 43 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,365 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
41 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 lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on October 1, 1926. 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 13 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 · 62 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km WNW of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsApril 12, 1926 · 254 km E of this epicenter
- 7.341 km ESE of Malango, Solomon IslandsFebruary 19, 1906 · 75 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1110 km SE of Gizo, Solomon IslandsMarch 27, 1926 · 231 km W of this epicenter
- 7.084 km SE of Honiara, Solomon IslandsDecember 9, 1909 · 123 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.853 km WSW of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsOctober 27, 1918 · 247 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.796 km SW of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsJanuary 6, 1919 · 267 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 3 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1926M6.9
Solomon Islands
16 Sep 1926 · 17 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1926M7.5
Guadalcanal
25 Jan 1926 · 65 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1926M7.5
Solomon Islands
12 Apr 1926 · 176 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.