Moderate mag. 5.1 earthquake - Coral Sea, 54 km east of Lata, Solomon Islands, on Saturday, 26 Dec 2020 6:49 pm (GMT +11) -
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Moderate magnitude 5.1 earthquake at 163 km depth
26 Dec 08:02 UTC: First to report: GFZ after 13 minutes.
26 Dec 09:25: Magnitude recalculated from 4.7 to 5.1.
26 Dec 09:25: Magnitude recalculated from 4.7 to 5.1.
Update Sat, 26 Dec 2020, 08:06
Light magnitude 4.7 quake hits 54 km southeast of Lata, Solomon Islands early evening4.7 quake 26 Dec 6:49 pm (GMT +11)
An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 occurred early evening on Saturday 26 December 2020 at 6:49 pm local time near Lata, Santa Cruz Islands, Temotu Province, Solomon Islands, as reported by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at an intermediate to considerable depth of 163 km. The strength of the earthquake may have been tempered by its relative great depth below the surface, which makes it feel weaker in absolute terms. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), which listed it as a magnitude 4.7 earthquake as well.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Lata (pop. 550) located 54 km from the epicenter.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at an intermediate to considerable depth of 163 km. The strength of the earthquake may have been tempered by its relative great depth below the surface, which makes it feel weaker in absolute terms. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), which listed it as a magnitude 4.7 earthquake as well.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Lata (pop. 550) located 54 km from the epicenter.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
Earthquake data:
Date & time: 26 Dec 2020 07:49:30 UTC -
Local time at epicenter: Saturday, 26 Dec 2020 6:49 pm (GMT +11)
Magnitude: 5.1
Depth: 163.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 10.83°S / 166.28°E

Nearest volcano: Tinakula (73 km / 45 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
54 km (34 mi) ESE of Lata (Santa Cruz Islands) (pop: 553) --> See nearby quakes!
366 km (227 mi) NNW of Sola (Vanuatu) (pop: 1,170) --> See nearby quakes!
258 km (160 mi) N of North Island (pop: 269) --> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Clear Sky
29.9°C (86 F), humidity: 65%, wind: 0 m/s (1 kts) from ESE
Primary data source: GFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences)Clear Sky

Estimated released energy: 2.8 x 1012 joules (783 megawatt hours, equivalent to 674 tons of TNT) More info
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
M 5.1 | 163 km | Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands | GFZ |
M 5.1 | 152 km | SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS, Solomon Islands | EMSC |
M 5.1 | 149 km | 55 Km E of Lata, Solomon Islands | USGS |
M 5.1 | 164 km | Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands | GeoAu |
M 5.1 | 149 km | 55 Km E of Lata, Solomon Islands | USGS |
User reports for this quake
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