A significant MAG-5.3 earthquake struck in the Solomon Sea 147 kilometer from Honiara, Solomon Islands in the night of Monday February 10th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 25 kilometers (16 mi) off the coast of Solomon Islands, 147 kilometer east-southeast of Honiara. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 44 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Feb 10, 2025 01:32 (Guadalcanal Time) - Feb 9, 2025 14:32 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 147 km ESE of Honiara, Solomon Islands. Coordinates 10°8'42"S 161°4'47"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 5 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.139 . |
| Depth: | 44 km (27 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Solomon Islands . Located 147 kilometer (91 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Honiara (Honiara, Solomon Islands) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 147 km (91 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Honiara Honiara, Solomon Islands. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have 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:
- Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands: 2 people.
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
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 January 31st, 2025, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 248 km (154 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2016.
In total, 91 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 month.
Low tsunami risk
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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 44 km (27 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 11/02/25 19:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pche
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250209_0000179
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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