M5.9 earthquake Solomon Islands

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck in the Solomon Islands on Sat, Jan 17, 1987, 10:22 PM GMT+11 (11:22 UTC), 51 km (32 mi) below the surface.

Malango forecast More in Solomon Islands

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.9 (Mw, moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sat, Jan 17, 1987, 10:22 PM GMT+11
UTC: 1987-01-17 11:22:01 UTC
Depth: 51.4 km (31.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 10.771° S, 161.271° E
Region: Solomon Islands
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.9	Mw, moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.83	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.8	Mwc, centroid moment	Global CMT project	Preliminary

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 13S, 35C Centroid Location: Origin Time 11:22: 4.5 0.6 Lat 11.09S 0.07 Lon 161.58E 0.07 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 2.9 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=2.78 0.16 Mtt=-0.51 0.20 Mff=-2.27 0.20 Mrt=2.54 0.35 Mrf=-5.73 0.50 Mtf=0.73 0.16 Principal Axes: (T) Val=6.94 Plg=56 Azm=65 (N) Val=-0.26 Plg=1 Azm=157 (P) Val=-6.68 Plg=34 Azm=248 Best Double Couple:Mo=6.8*10**17 NP1:Strike=343 Dip=12 Slip=97 NP2:Strike=156 Dip=79 Slip=89

From the USGS event page for usp00031r8. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 4.6% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 1.0 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: FROM_LOCATION

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Malango, Solomon IslandsPopulation 15,560. Forecast200 kmSE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Solomon Islands earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00031r8 (also filed as gcmtb011787a, gcmt19870117112205, iscgem476776). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 9:38 AM UTC.