Significant M5.5 Earthquake struck on Sunday Afternoon in the Solomon Sea 146km from Arawa (Papua New Guinea).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 8th, 2024. Last updated September 18th, 2024.

In the Solomon Sea 146 kilometer from Arawa, Papua New Guinea, a significant Magnitude 5.5 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Sunday September 8th, 2024. Around 300 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 72 kilometers (45 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 146 kilometer south-southeast of Arawa in Bougainville. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 42 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Sep 8, 2024 16:01 (Bougainville Time) - Sep 8, 2024 05:01 Universal Time.
Location:	146 km SSE of Arawa, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 7°25'4"S 156°7'19"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 77 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.067 .
Depth:	42 km (26 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 300 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 300 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 85,260 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 210 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 170 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Papua New Guinea , with level IV (light shaking, likely no damage) as the highest recorded. Roughly 130 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Solomon Islands .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
6,640	II	Very weak	None
206,900	III	Weak	Probably none
85,260	IV	Light	Likely none
0	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 . Located 146 kilometer (91 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Arawa (Bougainville, Papua New Guinea) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Arawa is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
146 km (91 mi) NNW from epicenter	Arawa Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.	III Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. 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.

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Solomon Islands.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Gizo, Western, Solomon Islands: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 September 1st, 2024, when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit 93 km (58 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on January 22nd, 2017.

In total, 38 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 3 months.

Low tsunami risk

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.

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 5.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 42 km (26 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 18/09/24 05:08 (). 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.