Shallow M6.2 earthquake hits Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands at 16:22 UTC on August 14, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 53 km (33 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Epicenter of M6.2 earthquake in Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands on August 14, 2025. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 112 km (70 miles) SSE of Lata (population 553) and 442 km (275 miles) NNW of Luganville (population 13 397).
21 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking and 5 000 light.
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 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
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.2 earthquake Solomon Islands – USGS – August 14, 2025
2 M6.2 earthquake Solomon Islands – EMSC – August 14, 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.
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