April 20, 1977 Earthquake: Solomon Islands
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Solomon Islands on April 20, 1977 at 23:13:10 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 34 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 20, 1977
- Time
- 23:13:10 UTC
- Place
- Solomon Islands
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 9.828° S, 160.323° E
- Country
- Solomon Islands
The toll
- Deaths
- 34
- 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 20, 1977, at 23:13 UTC an earthquake occurred in the Solomon Islands. This was the first of [four] earthquakes that occurred in a five hour period in this region. According to press information at least 12 people were killed and 22 were missing as a result of these earthquakes. Severe destruction and landslides were reported from Honiara. The first earthquake, with magnitude of 6.5, produced a weak tsunami which was recorded by several tide gauges in Australia and on the Solomon Islands. (reference #417)
Felt (VI) at Honiara. Tsunami (7.6 cm peak to peak) at Rabaul. (reference #1053)
34 killed, 1001 affected. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 3, 1931, San Cristobal Island, Solomon Islands
- April 21, 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
- February 7, 1984, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
- August 1, 1961, Solomon Islands
- September 27, 1985, Honiara, Guadacanal, Solomon Islands
- April 20, 1977, Solomon Islands
- July 25, 2012, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
- December 15, 1935, Solomon Islands
- April 12, 1926, Solomon Islands
- November 22, 2022, Honiara, Solomon Islands
- June 15, 1966, Guadalcanal, 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 6798.