M5.4 Earthquake 122 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands — December 20, 2024
2024-12-20 14:33:08 UTC (2024-12-20) · approx. 1:33 AM UTC+11 local
On December 20, 2024 at 14:33 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck 122 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands, at a depth of 26.0 km and coordinates -11.7900°, 166.1011°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 76 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 449, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Lata (population 553).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
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
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 | 23,552 |
| MMI 4 | light | 1,556 |
Earthquake Details
166.1011°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake near Lata, Solomon Islands?
The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck 122 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands on December 20, 2024 at 14:33 UTC had a depth of 26.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -11.7900°, 166.1011°, which is 122 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands. The nearest populated place is Lata (population 553).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.4 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000p0b5). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, December 20, 2024). M5.4 Earthquake 122 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands — December 20, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000p0b5/