M5.5 Earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands — February 3, 2025
2025-02-03 13:02:17 UTC (2025-02-03) · approx. 12:02 AM UTC+11 local
0Aftershock of the M6.3 mainshock.
On February 3, 2025 at 13:02 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -22.8251°, 171.3889°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 126 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 465, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.8 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
This earthquake is part of an ongoing aftershock sequence following the magnitude 6.3 mainshock that occurred 18 days ago southeast of the Loyalty Islands. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 10 aftershocks in this area. Aftershock activity is expected to continue for weeks to months as stresses on surrounding faults redistribute.
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 4 | light | 3 |
Earthquake Details
171.3889°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands?
The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands on February 3, 2025 at 13:02 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 -22.8251°, 171.3889°, which is southeast of the Loyalty Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.5 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Is this the same earthquake as the M6.3 one earlier?
No. This magnitude 5.5 earthquake is an aftershock of the larger magnitude 6.3 mainshock that occurred earlier southeast of the Loyalty Islands. Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes triggered by stress changes from the mainshock.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000pb0i). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, February 3, 2025). M5.5 Earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands — February 3, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000pb0i/