Magnitude 7.1 - SOLOMON ISLANDS
2010 January 03 22:36:28 UTC
Earthquake Details
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
| Magnitude | 7.1 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 8.800°S, 157.370°E |
| Depth | 25 km (15.5 miles) set by location program |
| Region | SOLOMON ISLANDS |
| Distances | 95 km (60 miles) SE of Gizo, New Georgia Islands, Solomon Isl. 205 km (125 miles) WSW of Dadali, Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands 295 km (185 miles) WNW of HONIARA, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 2115 km (1320 miles) NNE of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia |
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 5.1 km (3.2 miles); depth fixed by location program |
| Parameters | NST=300, Nph=300, Dmin=291.8 km, Rmss=1.15 sec, Gp= 14°, M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=T |
| Source |
|
| Event ID | us2010rabw |
- Did you feel it? Report shaking and damage at your location. You can also view a map displaying accumulated data from your report and others.
Earthquake Summary
Felt Reports
At least 60 homes damaged. Some of the damage was caused by a tsunami, with a run up height of 3 m on Rendova. Felt (VI) at Gizo.
Tectonic Summary
The Solomon Islands earthquake of January 3, 2010, likely occurred at the boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates, where the Australian plate subducts beneath the Pacific towards the northeast at a rate of approximately 95 mm/yr. The mechanism of the January 3rd earthquake is consistent with its occurrence in relation to underthrusting of the Australia plate beneath the Pacific plate, as part of this subduction process.
The Solomon Islands arc as a whole experiences a very high level of earthquake activity, and many shocks of magnitude 7 and larger have been recorded since the early decades of the twentieth century. The January 3rd, 2010 earthquake nucleated approximately 50 km to the southeast of a M8.1 earthquake in April 2007, which with an associated tsunami caused at least 50 fatalities and destroyed several coastal villages on nearby islands. An M6.5 foreshock occurred less than one hour before this main shock, in approximately the same location.
Earthquake Maps
Scientific & Technical Information
Tsunami Information
The earthquake locations and magnitudes cited in NOAA tsunami statements and bulletins are preliminary and are superseded by USGS locations and magnitudes computed using more extensive data sets.
NOAA Tsunami Bulletins for this Earthquake
No Bulletins have been issued at this time.
General Tsunami Information
- Preliminary Earthquake Report
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
