Reviewed by USGSSolomon Islands35y ago
M5.2 earthquake 111 km SW of Buala, Solomon Islands
Wednesday, November 13, 1991, 22:30:17 UTC · 8.768°S, 158.796°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 111 km SW of Buala, Solomon Islands on Wednesday, November 13, 1991, 22:30:17 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on November 13, 1991.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 33 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
85 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
33 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on November 14, 1991. 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 335 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8116 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsOctober 10, 1931 · 280 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.823 km SSE of Malango, Solomon IslandsApril 30, 1939 · 168 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6121 km W of Kirakira, Solomon IslandsAugust 10, 1988 · 284 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.685 km SE of Honiara, Solomon IslandsFebruary 7, 1984 · 230 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5105 km ESE of Honiara, Solomon IslandsApril 20, 1977 · 252 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.566 km SE of Honiara, Solomon IslandsApril 20, 1977 · 211 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5103 km SE of Honiara, Solomon IslandsApril 21, 1977 · 251 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.562 km SW of Malango, Solomon IslandsJanuary 25, 1926 · 153 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 65 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1977M6.8
Solomon Islands
20 Apr 1977 · 205 km away · intensity VI
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1977M8.1
Solomon Islands
21 Apr 1977 · 251 km away · intensity VII
18 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1939M7.9
Solomon Islands
30 Apr 1939 · 76 km away
12 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1988M7.6
San Cristobal, Guadalcanal
10 Aug 1988 · 284 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1984M7.5
Guadalcanal
7 Feb 1984 · 230 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1926M6.9
Solomon Islands
16 Sep 1926 · 128 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.