4.8

M4.8 Earthquake 84 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands — May 20, 2021

2021-05-20 18:19:00 UTC (2021-05-20) · approx. 5:19 AM UTC+11 local

Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM4.8(mb)
Time18:19 UTC≈ 5:19 AM UTC+11
Depth83.5 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates-9.927°, 161.364°
Felt by2DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On May 20, 2021 at 18:19 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 intermediate depth earthquake struck 84 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands, at a depth of 83.5 km and coordinates -9.9273°, 161.3642°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -9.93°, 161.36°

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.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M4.8 earthquake near 84 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
4.8 mb
Depth
83.5 km
intermediate depth
Location
-9.9273°N
161.3642°E
Felt Reports
2
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
6.6
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000e4uq
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
356
Azimuthal Gap
65.0°
Min Station Distance
1.478°
RMS Residual
0.81 sec
Last Updated
2022-08-09 05:09:04 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Kirakira, Solomon Islands?

The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 84 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands on May 20, 2021 at 18:19 UTC had a depth of 83.5 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -9.9273°, 161.3642°, which is 84 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000e4uq). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, May 20, 2021). M4.8 Earthquake 84 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands — May 20, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000e4uq/