Reviewed by USGSSolomon Islands20d ago
M5.6 earthquake 98 km SE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands
Sunday, September 6, 2026, 04:05:30 UTC · 11.090°S, 162.548°E
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 98 km SE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands on Sunday, September 6, 2026, 04:05:30 UTC, at a depth of 40.3 km (shallow). USGS received 2 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of III (weak). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on May 12, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 40 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 2
- Max intensity III
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- 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
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
33 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
40 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands | III · Weak | 2 | 344 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.
- IV · Light shaking
- 10,000 people
- III · Weak shaking
- 25,000 people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- KirakiraPopulation 3,500III · Weak
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,145 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.02013 Santa Cruz Islands EarthquakeFebruary 6, 2013 · 282 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8116 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsOctober 10, 1931 · 215 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8108 km SW of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsOctober 3, 1931 · 148 km W of this epicenter
- 7.869 km WSW of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsDecember 8, 2016 · 141 km W of this epicenter
- 7.656 km W of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsDecember 15, 1935 · 148 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6121 km W of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsAugust 10, 1988 · 205 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.685 km SE of Honiara, Solomon IslandsFebruary 7, 1984 · 257 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 114 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1931M7.8
San Cristobal Island
3 Oct 1931 · 168 km away
50 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1977M6.8
Solomon Islands
20 Apr 1977 · 281 km away · intensity VI
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1977M8.1
Solomon Islands
21 Apr 1977 · 235 km away · intensity VII
18 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2013M7.9
Santa Cruz Islands
6 Feb 2013 · 282 km away · intensity VIII
10 deaths$36 million damagetsunami
- 2016M7.8
Solomon Islands
8 Dec 2016 · 141 km away · intensity VIII
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1988M7.6
San Cristobal, Guadalcanal
10 Aug 1988 · 203 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.