Significant M5.7 Earthquake hit 131km from Honiara in Solomon Islands on Sunday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 16th, 2026. Last updated June 18th, 2026.

A significant M5.7 earthquake struck under land 131 kilometer from Honiara in Solomon Islands in the night of Sunday May 17th, 2026. Around 530 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Solomon Islands, 131 kilometer (81 mi) north-east of Honiara. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 32 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 17, 2026 02:17 (Guadalcanal Time) - May 16, 2026 15:17 Universal Time.
Location:	131 km NE of Honiara, Solomon Islands. Coordinates 8°37'10"S 160°48'55"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 29 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.058 .
Depth:	32 km (20 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 530 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 530 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.

Strong shaking and probably light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 10,360 people. At VI, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level IV was experienced by a large group of people (around 230 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Solomon Islands .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
197,700	III	Weak	Probably none
233,400	IV	Light	Likely none
87,640	V	Moderate	Very light
10,360	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 Solomon Islands . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Honiara in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Honiara is located 131 kilometer (81 mi) north-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Honiara 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)
131 km (81 mi) SW from epicenter	Honiara Honiara, Solomon Islands.	III Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

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 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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: 3 people.
Auki, Malaita, Solomon Islands: 2 people.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 14 km (9 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 35 mins later. 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
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	May 17, 2026 02:17 (Guadalcanal Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	35 mins later May 17, 2026 02:52 (Guadalcanal Time)	14 km (9 mi) SW from Main Shock.

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.

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 April 18th, 2026, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 241 km (150 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2016.

In total, 28 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 4 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.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. 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	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 32 km (20 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 18/06/26 01:58 (). 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.