In the afternoon of Saturday February 14th, 2026, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the Solomon Sea 59 kilometer from Honiara, Solomon Islands.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 22 kilometers (14 mi) off the coast of Solomon Islands, 59 kilometer west of Honiara. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 13 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Feb 14, 2026 14:12 (Guadalcanal Time) - Feb 14, 2026 03:12 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 59 km west of Honiara, Solomon Islands. Coordinates 9°31'5"S 159°24'52"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 140 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 . |
| Depth: | 13 km (8 mi) A very 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 59 kilometer (37 mi) west of the epicenter of this earthquake, Honiara (Honiara, Solomon Islands) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 59 km (37 mi) E from epicenter |
Honiara Honiara, Solomon Islands. |
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:
- Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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 October 23rd, 2025, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 206 km (128 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2016.
In total, 113 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 13 km (8 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 14/02/26 21:08 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000s95m
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260214_0000057
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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