M5.1 earthquake - 34 km N of Buala, Solomon Islands

What happened

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 34 km N of Buala, Solomon Islands on 12 May 2017, 05:39 UTC at a depth of 50 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 Honiara, about 180 km away in Honiara, Solomon Islands.