M5.0 earthquake - 109 km WSW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 109 km WSW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands on 9 Dec 2016, 19:27 UTC at a depth of 35 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 208 km away in Guadalcanal Province, Solomon Islands.