April 21, 1977 Earthquake: Solomon Islands
A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck Solomon Islands on April 21, 1977 at 04:24:09 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 18 people.
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 21, 1977
- Time
- 04:24:09 UTC
- Place
- Solomon Islands
- Magnitude
- 8.1 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 9.965° S, 160.731° E
- Country
- Solomon Islands
The toll
- Deaths
- 18
- Injuries
- 1
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
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.
On April 21, 1977, at 04:21 UTC, the [fourth] strong earthquake on the Solomon Islands occurred at a magnitude of 7.5, five hours after the first shock in roughly the same region as the two previous shocks. Eighteen people were killed by landslides. Fairly severe destruction was caused in Guadalcanal. A weak tsunami caused by this earthquake was recorded on the Solomon Islands, northeast of Australia and in the western part of Samoa. (reference #417)
18 persons reported killed due to landslides. One person reported injured at Honiara. Heavy damage on Guadalcanal. Slight tsunami at Apia and Suva. Felt (VII) at Honiara. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 3, 1931, San Cristobal Island, Solomon Islands
- April 20, 1977, Solomon Islands
- April 30, 1939, Solomon Islands
- August 10, 1988, San Cristobal, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
- December 8, 2016, Solomon Islands
- April 20, 1977, Solomon Islands
- August 1, 1961, Solomon Islands
- February 7, 1984, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
- April 12, 1926, Solomon Islands
- December 15, 1935, Solomon Islands
- April 20, 1977, Solomon Islands
- June 15, 1966, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
- October 10, 1931, Solomon Islands
- January 20, 2003, Honiara, San Cristobal, Solomon Islands
- September 27, 1985, Honiara, Guadacanal, Solomon Islands
More
Significant earthquakes of 1977The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1977Recent earthquakes near hereThis 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 4774.