Strong and shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Solomon Islands
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the Solomon Islands at 16:42 UTC on February 21, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at the same depth. No tsunami warning has been issued.
Epicenter of M6.0 earthquake in Solomon Islands on February 21, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 111 km (69 miles) SSE of Kirakira (population 3 500), 341 km (212 miles) SE of Honiara (population 56 298), and 345 km (215 miles) ESE of Malango (population 10 532), Solomon Islands.
32 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking, and 64 000 weak, according to the USGS PAGER data.
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 moderately resistant to earthquake shaking.
The predominant vulnerable building types are reinforced concrete frames with unreinforced brick infill.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.0 earthquake Solomon Islands – USGS – February 21, 2026
2 M6.0 earthquake Solomon Islands – EMSC – February 21, 2026
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- A ring of wind spinning about 19 miles above the Arctic, far higher than any passenger jet flies, has started breaking apart weeks earlier than ever recorded, and forecasters say the cold it was holding in place could spill into the US and Europe within weeks
- US flights resume after FAA lifts nationwide ground stop that lasted more than four hours
- Second nationwide US flight halt since 9/11: how the November 13 FAA ground stop compares with September 2001 and January 2023 Epicenter
- FAA grounds all departing flights across the US after communications outage hits air traffic control centers nationwide
