M7.8 earthquake 23 km SSE of Malango, Solomon Islands
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck 23 km SSE of Malango, Solomon Islands on Sun, Apr 30, 1939, 1:55 PM GMT+11 (02:55 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (mw), major
- Local time
- UTC
- 1939-04-30 02:55:30 UTC
- Depth
- 15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 9.881° S, 159.829° E
- Region
- Solomon Islands
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 34.0% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 3.6 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic

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
- ±0.30
- 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 iscgem901916. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 11:39 PM UTC.