M5.2 Earthquake 172 km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands — October 20, 2021
2021-10-20 06:38:30 UTC (2021-10-20) · approx. 5:38 PM UTC+11 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On October 20, 2021 at 06:38 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 intermediate depth earthquake struck 172 km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands, at a depth of 210.7 km and coordinates -11.9366°, 166.7990°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
166.7990°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Lata, Solomon Islands?
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 172 km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands on October 20, 2021 at 06:38 UTC had a depth of 210.7 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -11.9366°, 166.7990°, which is 172 km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000fw20). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, October 20, 2021). M5.2 Earthquake 172 km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands — October 20, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000fw20/