Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Solomon Islands
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the Solomon Islands at 18:16 UTC on February 23, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 36 km (22.4 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 81 km (50 miles) SE of Lata (population 553), Solomon Islands, and 480 km (300 miles) NNW of Honiara (population 13 397), Vanuatu.
23 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking, and 2 000 weak.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unknown/miscellaneous types and wood construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards, such as landslides, that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.0 earthquake Solomon Islands – USGS – February 23, 2025
2 M6.0 earthquake Solomon Islands – EMSC – February 23, 2025
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.