Reviewed by USGS19d ago
M5.5 earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands
Monday, September 7, 2026, 05:50:44 UTC · 23.419°S, 171.677°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands on Monday, September 7, 2026, 05:50:44 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on July 13, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
30 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the New Hebrides and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event; the largest was M4.9 on September 20, 2026. 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 1,175 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7southeast of the Loyalty IslandsMay 19, 2023 · 98 km W of this epicenter
- 7.7southeast of the Loyalty IslandsFebruary 10, 2021 · 41 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7249 km E of Vao, New CaledoniaMay 16, 1995 · 187 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6274 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaMarch 16, 1928 · 176 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5southeast of the Loyalty IslandsJanuary 4, 1998 · 147 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5166 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaDecember 5, 2018 · 283 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.3201 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaDecember 27, 2003 · 251 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 17 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 233 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2018M7.5
Loyalty Islands
5 Dec 2018 · 283 km away · intensity III
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1995M7.7
Noumea; Vanuatu: Port-Vila
16 May 1995 · 187 km away · intensity III
tsunami
- 2021M7.7
Loyalty Islands
10 Feb 2021 · 41 km away · intensity VII
tsunami
- 2023M7.7
Loyalty Islands
19 May 2023 · 103 km away
tsunami
- 1928M7.5
Loyalty Islands
16 Mar 1928 · 199 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.