Significant M5.7 Earthquake hit in the Solomon Sea 187km from Arawa (Papua New Guinea) on Monday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on June 9th, 2024. Last updated June 29th, 2024.

A significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck in the Solomon Sea 187 kilometer from Arawa, Papua New Guinea deep in the night of Monday June 10th, 2024. Roughly 410 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 59 kilometers (36 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 187 kilometer west-northwest of Arawa in Bougainville. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 125 km.

Date and Time:	Jun 10, 2024 03:28 (Bougainville Time) - Jun 9, 2024 16:28 Universal Time.
Location:	187 km WNW of Arawa, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 5°27'25"S 154°4'8"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 53 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.043 .
Depth:	125 km (78 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 410 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 410 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 30 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 400 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 400 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Papua New Guinea , with level V (moderate shaking, very light damage) as the highest recorded. People were exposed to shaking in Solomon Islands as well.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
5,410	III	Weak	Probably none
399,600	IV	Light	Likely none
30	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Papua New Guinea . Arawa in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 187 kilometer (116 mi) west-northwest of Arawa. The intensity of shaking and damage in Arawa is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
187 km (116 mi) ESE from epicenter	Arawa Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.	IV Light
235 km (146 mi) WNW from epicenter	Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea.	IV Light

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Aftershocks detected

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 3 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.3

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 4.3	3 days earlier Jun 7, 2024 04:04 (Bougainville Time)	32 km (20 mi) W from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	Jun 10, 2024 03:28 (Bougainville Time)	-

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 8th, 2023, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 157 km (98 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on January 22nd, 2017.

In total, 62 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 125 km (78 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 29/06/24 19:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.