M5.9 earthquake 47 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 47 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands on Wed, Mar 8, 1939, 4:16 AM GMT+11 (17:16 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M7.8 23 km SSE of Malango, Solomon Islands. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1939-03-07 17:16:26 UTC
- Depth
- 15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 9.478° S, 159.346° E
- Region
- Solomon Islands
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todaySolomon Islands earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem901853. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 10:14 AM UTC.