M5.0 Earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands — February 16, 2025
2025-02-16 08:36:23 UTC (2025-02-16) · approx. 7:36 PM UTC+11 local
On February 16, 2025 at 08:36 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -22.4881°, 170.8116°. This earthquake was detected by 33 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 385, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Earthquake Details
170.8116°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands on February 16, 2025 at 08:36 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 -22.4881°, 170.8116°, which is southeast of the Loyalty Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000pe38). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, February 16, 2025). M5.0 Earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands — February 16, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000pe38/