April 30, 1939 Earthquake: Solomon Islands

Name: April 30, 1939 Earthquake: Solomon Islands
Start: 1939-04-30
Location: Solomon Islands

April 30, 1939 · M7.9 · 12 deaths

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Solomon Islands on April 30, 1939 at 02:55:29 UTC, 35 km below the surface. It killed 12 people, counting the tsunami it caused.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: April 30, 1939
Time: 02:55:29 UTC
Place: Solomon Islands
Magnitude: 7.9 (Mw)
Focal depth: 35 km (22 mi)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 9.295° S, 159.234° E
Country: Solomon Islands

The toll

Deaths: 12 with its tsunami and other effects
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed: Some (about 51 to 100)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Reference #414:

1939, April 30, 02:55:39 UTC [13:56 local time]. There was a strong earthquake on the Solomon Islands. The shocks lasted several days. Guadalcanal was one of the islands most seriously affected. A number of buildings were damaged there. Buildings were damaged on Santa Isabel Island, and buildings and moorages were damaged in the region of Cape Marsh (Russell Islands). On Savo Island, visible surface fractures appeared. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami, which flooded a number of villages. Nine children and three adolescents drowned.

Gutenberg, Richter (1954) : 30.1V; 2h55m306; 10.5 S.,

158.5 E.; 50 km; M=8. [The instrumental data on the earthquake do not fully agree with the macroseismic data.]

Reference #88:

1939, April 30, 02:55:30 UTC. 10.5 S, 158.5 E, shallow depth, magnitude 8.1.

Reference #130:

1939, April 30, 02:55:30 UTC. 10.5 S, 158.5 E, magnitude 8.0.

Reference #2666:

1939, April 30, 02:55:30 UTC. 10.5 S, 158.5 E, depth shallow, magnitude 8.1.

Reference #1002:

1939, April. Off Guadalcanal, magnitude 8.2.

Reference #9910:

1939, April 30 2:55:29.09 UTC, 9.295 S, 159.234 E, depth 35 km, 7.9 Mw P&S, 8 Ms ABE1, 7.8 Ms P&S, 7.4 mB ABE1, 8.1 UK B&D.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1939 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1939 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 3637.