Strong and shallow M6.3 earthquake hits Solomon Islands
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 struck 182 km (113 miles) ESE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands at 14:27 UTC on March 6, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 8.7 km (5.4 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.3 at a depth of 9 km (5.6 miles). According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), there is no tsunami threat from this event.
Epicenter of M6.3 earthquake in Solomon Islands on March 6, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 182 km (113 miles) SE of Kirakira (population 1 100), 423 km (263 miles) WNW of Honiara (population 56 200), and 429.5 km (266.9 miles) ESE of Malango (population 10 532), Solomon Islands.
USGS PAGER estimates 23 000 people felt light shaking and 32 000 light.
Based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The earthquake occurred along the South Solomon Trench, a seismically active segment of the Australia–Pacific plate boundary where the Australian Plate subducts beneath Pacific-affiliated lithosphere.
Along this trench, plate convergence reaches about 95 mm (3.7 inches) per year toward the east-northeast, and large earthquakes are common.
Since 1900, 13 earthquakes of M7.5 or greater have been recorded in this section, including the April 1, 2007 M8.1 megathrust earthquake, which generated a tsunami and killed at least 40 people.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.3 earthquake Solomon Islands – USGS – March 6, 2026
2 M6.3 earthquake Solomon Islands – EMSC – March 6, 2026
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.