M5.0 earthquake - 88 km SSW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 88 km SSW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands on 9 Dec 2016, 19:21 UTC at a depth of 41 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Malango, about 266 km away in Guadalcanal Province, Solomon Islands.