M5.0 Earthquake 14 km WSW of Malango, Solomon Islands — December 12, 2022
2022-12-12 01:38:17 UTC (2022-12-12) · approx. 12:38 PM UTC+11 local
Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.
On December 12, 2022 at 01:38 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 14 km WSW of Malango, Solomon Islands, at a depth of 31.1 km and coordinates -9.7258°, 159.5844°. This earthquake was detected by 50 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 385, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 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 2 citizen responses 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
159.5844°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Malango, Solomon Islands?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 14 km WSW of Malango, Solomon Islands on December 12, 2022 at 01:38 UTC had a depth of 31.1 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -9.7258°, 159.5844°, which is 14 km WSW of Malango, Solomon Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000j8pf). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, December 12, 2022). M5.0 Earthquake 14 km WSW of Malango, Solomon Islands — December 12, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000j8pf/