M5.0 earthquake 180 km WSW of Buala, Solomon Islands

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 180 km WSW of Buala, Solomon Islands on Tue, Oct 15, 1991, 2:30 PM GMT+11 (03:30 UTC), 16 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 169 km SW of Buala, Solomon Islands. This one was a foreshock.

Tandai 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: 5.0 (mb, body-wave), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Tue, Oct 15, 1991, 2:30 PM GMT+11
UTC: 1991-10-15 03:30:22 UTC
Depth: 16.2 km (10.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 9.029° S, 158.214° E
Region: Solomon Islands
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

What happened

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

Felt at Honiara.

From the USGS event page for usp0004xup. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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: CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES

Nearest places

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

Tandai, Solomon IslandsPopulation 24,592. Forecast196 kmWNW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 10 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 usp0004xup. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 5:00 PM UTC.