M5.5 earthquake 128 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 128 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands on Thu, Sep 26, 1991, 8:14 PM GMT+11 (09:14 UTC), 26 km (16 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M7.2 155 km WNW 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
- 5.5 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1991-09-26 09:14:50 UTC
- Depth
- 25.6 km (15.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 9.283° S, 158.620° E
- Region
- Solomon Islands
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.49 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt at Honiara. CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 22S, 51C Centroid Location: Origin Time 09:14:53.0 0.4 Lat 9.63S 0.08 Lon 159.01E 0.05 Dep 15.3 3.2 Half-duration 2.0 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=0.86 0.05 Mtt=-0.76 0.09 Mff=-0.10 0.08 Mrt=1.67 0.41 Mrf=-0.62 0.22 Mtf=0.95 0.05 Principal Axes: (T) Val=1.91 Plg=58 Azm=1 (N) Val=0.47 Plg=13 Azm=113 (P) Val=-2.38 Plg=28 Azm=211 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.2*10**17 NP1:Strike=332 Dip=20 Slip=131 NP2:Strike=110 Dip=75 Slip=76
From the USGS event page for usp0004x2m. 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.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 7.2155 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 23 km deep · 29 km away
- 6.4140 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 31 km deep · 23 km away
- 6.1166 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 19 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.9173 km WSW of Buala, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 22 km deep · 57 km away
- 4.4131 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
- 3.9130 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 33 km deep · 18 km away
- 5.0121 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 26 km deep · 15 km away
- 4.8161 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 25 km deep · 33 km away
- 4.9111 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 34 km deep · 23 km away
- 5.0180 km WSW of Buala, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 16 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.3150 km ESE of Gizo, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
- 5.3158 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12772 days ago · 26 km deep · 30 km away
- 4.3150 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12771 days ago · 33 km deep · 24 km away
- 4.5149 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12771 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.1102 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12771 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
- 5.6169 km SW of Buala, Solomon Islands · 12743 days ago · 29 km deep · 45 km away
- 5.2111 km SW of Buala, Solomon Islands · 12742 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
- 4.6126 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands · 12741 days ago · 21 km deep · 8 km away
Before
Earthquakes todaySolomon Islands earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0004x2m (also filed as gcmtb092691c, gcmt19910926091451, iscgem321040). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:13 PM UTC.