QuakeScout
Magnitude4.7

Reviewed by USGSSolomon Islands53y ago

M4.7 earthquake 125 km NW of Gizo, Solomon Islands

Friday, March 22, 1974, 22:11:26 UTC · 7.390°S, 155.960°E

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 125 km NW of Gizo, Solomon Islands on Friday, March 22, 1974, 22:11:26 UTC, at a depth of 61.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on March 13, 1974.

Magnitude
4.7
Light · mb
Depth
61 km
Shallow
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
—
No ShakeMap
PAGER alert
None
Not issued
Tsunami
No flag
USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

169 tons of TNT

That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

39 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Pacific and Woodlark plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

61 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 50 km

USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 240 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.885 km S of Panguna, Papua New GuineaJanuary 30, 1939 · 72 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 7.361 km NW of Gizo, Solomon IslandsApril 19, 1936 · 67 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 7.2155 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New GuineaOctober 19, 1949 · 265 km NW of this epicenter
  4. 7.1110 km SE of Gizo, Solomon IslandsMarch 27, 1926 · 235 km SE of this epicenter
  5. 7.1118 km S of Panguna, Papua New GuineaFebruary 1, 1974 · 42 km W of this epicenter
  6. 7.067 km WNW of Gizo, Solomon IslandsAugust 17, 1959 · 59 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 7.0126 km NW of Gizo, Solomon IslandsJanuary 31, 1974 · 11 km SW of this epicenter
  8. 7.0147 km SSW of Gizo, Solomon IslandsMay 7, 1920 · 225 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1939M7.7

    Bougainville Island

    30 Jan 1939 · 72 km away

    5 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  2. 1959M7.3

    Solomon Islands

    17 Aug 1959 · 13 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  3. 1974M7.1

    Solomon Islands

    1 Feb 1974 · 40 km away · intensity VI

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1907M7.7

    New Britain

    4 May 1907 · 249 km away

  5. 1974M7.0

    Solomon Islands

    31 Jan 1974 · 14 km away

    tsunami

  6. 1955M6.5

    Fauro Island

    8 Sep 1955 · 62 km away

    tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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