Shallow M5.7 Earthquake hit 144km from Honiara in Solomon Islands on Sunday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 16th, 2026. Last updated May 17th, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.7 earthquake struck under land 144 kilometer from Honiara in Solomon Islands in the night of Sunday May 17th, 2026. Around 520 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Solomon Islands, 144 kilometer (89 mi) north-east of Honiara. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 23 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:	144 km NE of Honiara, Solomon Islands. Coordinates 8°33'9"S 160°54'58"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 .
Depth:	23 km (15 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (1 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually 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 520 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 520 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.

Very strong shaking and likely moderate damage may have been experienced by an estimated 890 people. At VII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by a large group of people (around 250 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably 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
252,900	III	Weak	Probably none
180,300	IV	Light	Likely none
66,850	V	Moderate	Very light
20,750	VI	Strong	Light
890	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 144 kilometer (89 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)
144 km (89 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 VII.

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:

Honiara, Guadalcanal, 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.

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 244 km (152 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	This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (1 km from the sea).	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 23 km (15 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 17/05/26 05:28 (). 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.