M5.6 Earthquake 92 km W of Lata, Solomon Islands — May 12, 2026
2026-05-12 15:39:30 UTC (2026-05-12) · approx. 2:39 AM UTC+11 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On May 12, 2026 at 15:39 UTC, a magnitude 5.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 92 km W of Lata, Solomon Islands, at a depth of 64.7 km and coordinates -10.6401°, 164.9581°. The earthquake was reported felt by 1 personacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.0 (light). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 195 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 482, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 4 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 4.4 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
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
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 15,442 |
| MMI 4 | light | 6,826 |
Earthquake Details
164.9581°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Lata, Solomon Islands?
The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck 92 km W of Lata, Solomon Islands on May 12, 2026 at 15:39 UTC had a depth of 64.7 km. It was felt by 1 person with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.0 (light). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -10.6401°, 164.9581°, which is 92 km W of Lata, Solomon Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.6 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000sx5k). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, May 12, 2026). M5.6 Earthquake 92 km W of Lata, Solomon Islands — May 12, 2026. Retrieved October 2, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000sx5k/