Reviewed by USGSSolomon Islands19y ago
M5.1 earthquake 137 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands
Wednesday, May 2, 2007, 11:22:31 UTC · 8.878°S, 157.814°E
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 137 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands on Wednesday, May 2, 2007, 11:22:31 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on April 29, 2007.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 10 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
674 tons of TNT
That is about 1/22 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
22 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
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 PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.5 on May 24, 2007. 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 516 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.12007 Solomon Islands EarthquakeApril 1, 2007 · 96 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.823 km SSE of Malango, Solomon IslandsApril 30, 1939 · 248 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.566 km SE of Honiara, Solomon IslandsApril 20, 1977 · 300 km E of this epicenter
- 7.562 km SW of Malango, Solomon IslandsJanuary 25, 1926 · 208 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.341 km ESE of Malango, Solomon IslandsFebruary 19, 1906 · 269 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.361 km NW of Gizo, Solomon IslandsApril 19, 1936 · 198 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.358 km SSE of Malango, Solomon IslandsAugust 18, 1968 · 272 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 98 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2007M8.1
Solomon Islands
1 Apr 2007 · 96 km away
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1977M6.8
Solomon Islands
20 Apr 1977 · 295 km away · intensity VI
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1939M7.9
Solomon Islands
30 Apr 1939 · 163 km away
12 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1959M7.3
Solomon Islands
17 Aug 1959 · 252 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1974M7.1
Solomon Islands
1 Feb 1974 · 294 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1926M6.9
Solomon Islands
16 Sep 1926 · 207 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.