M5.3 Earthquake 81 km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands — September 17, 2021
2021-09-17 18:44:57 UTC (2021-09-17) · approx. 5:44 AM UTC+11 local
Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.
On September 17, 2021 at 18:44 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 81 km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -11.1776°, 162.0741°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 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
162.0741°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Kirakira, Solomon Islands?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 81 km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands on September 17, 2021 at 18:44 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -11.1776°, 162.0741°, which is 81 km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000fc7y). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, September 17, 2021). M5.3 Earthquake 81 km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands — September 17, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000fc7y/