Moderate mag. 5.0 earthquake - Coral Sea, 94 km southeast of Lata, Solomon Islands, on Tuesday, Dec 29, 2020 at 7:03 am (GMT +11)
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Moderate magnitude 5.0 earthquake at 59 km depth
28 Dec 20:22 UTC: First to report: USGS after 19 minutes.
28 Dec 21:46: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 64.6 to 58.6 km (from 40 to 36 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 2.5 km (1.5 mi) towards NW.
28 Dec 21:46: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 64.6 to 58.6 km (from 40 to 36 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 2.5 km (1.5 mi) towards NW.
Update Mon, 28 Dec 2020, 20:27
Significant 5.0 quake hits near Lata, Santa Cruz Islands, Temotu Province, Solomon Islands5.0 quake 29 Dec 7:03 am (GMT +11)
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 5.0 quake in the Solomon Islands near Lata, Santa Cruz Islands, Temotu Province, only 24 minutes ago. The earthquake hit in the morning on Tuesday 29 December 2020 at 7:03 am local time at a moderately shallow depth of 64.6 km. 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 Geoscience Australia (GeoAu), which listed it as a magnitude 5.0 earthquake as well. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.0.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Lata (pop. 550) located 96 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.
A second report was later issued by Geoscience Australia (GeoAu), which listed it as a magnitude 5.0 earthquake as well. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.0.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Lata (pop. 550) located 96 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
Earthquake details
| Date & time | Dec 28, 2020 20:03:27 UTC |
| Local time at epicenter | Tuesday, Dec 29, 2020 at 7:03 am (GMT +11) |
| Status | Confirmed |
| Magnitude | 5 |
| Depth | 58.6 km |
| Epicenter latitude / longitude | 11.3958°S / 166.3213°E  (Coral Sea, Solomon Islands) |
| Antipode | 11.396°N / 13.679°W |
| Shaking intensity | Light shaking near epicenter |
| Felt | 0 reports |
| Primary data source | USGS (United States Geological Survey) |
| Nearest volcano | Tinakula (129 km / 80 mi) |
| Nearby towns and cities | 94 km (58 mi) SE of Lata (Santa Cruz Islands) (pop: 553) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 306 km (190 mi) NNW of Sola (Vanuatu) (pop: 1,170) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 195 km (121 mi) N of Hiw Island (pop: 269) | Show on map | Quakes nearby |
| Weather at epicenter at time of quake | Overcast Clouds  29.3°C (85 F), humidity: 67%, wind: 4 m/s (7 kts) from N |
| Estimated seismic energy released | 2 x 1012 joules (554 megawatt hours, equivalent to 477 tons of TNT) | about seismic energy |
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.
| Mag. | Depth | Location | Source |
| 5.0 | 59 km | 93 Km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands | USGS |
| 5.0 | 59 km | SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS, Solomon Islands | EMSC |
| 4.8 | 67 km | Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands | GeoAu |
| 5.0 | 52 km | Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands | GFZ |
User reports for this quake
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
Aftershocks
[More info]
Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)
So far, no aftershocks have been registered.
Earlier earthquakes in the same area
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