Earthquake.now

M6.0 Earthquake near Kirakira, Solomon Islands — 21 February 2026

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.0 was recorded near Kirakira, Solomon Islands on , with an epicentre 110 km south-southeast of Kirakira, at a focal depth of 10.0 km. It was the strongest of the 6 earthquakes recorded in the Solomon Islands in the preceding 30 days.

6.0 Strong

Time (UTC): 2026-02-21 16:42:07

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 6.0 (strong)

Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)

Epicentre: -11.3339, 162.3950

Location: 110 km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands

Country: Solomon Islands

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Strong earthquakes can cause significant damage in populated areas within roughly 100 km of the epicentre, particularly to older masonry buildings. Landslides and liquefaction become a real risk in susceptible ground.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15,080 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 554, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 03:31 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.

This event was shallower than 96% of the 133 earthquakes recorded in the Solomon Islands in our catalogue and stronger than 95% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -11.3339, 162.3950 — 110 km south-southeast of Kirakira. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.6 earthquake 29 km northeast of here on 21 February 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Honiara (80 km north-northwest) and Lata (201 km east).

Why the 10 km depth matters

At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size can produce strong, widely felt shaking. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M6.0 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.6.

54 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.7 event near Kirakira on 06 March 2026. This M6.0 event released about 11 times less energy than that event.

6 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 0 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the February 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the Solomon Islands during February 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in the Solomon Islands

All recorded earthquakes in the Solomon Islands →

Other magnitude 6 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 6 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Kirakira?

It measured magnitude 6.0 — a strong earthquake. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15,080 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Kirakira?

The focus was 10 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Kirakira earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 6.0 and a focal depth of 10 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Kirakira happen?

21 February 2026 at 16:42 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.6.

How often do earthquakes happen near Kirakira?

54 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.7 event near Kirakira on 06 March 2026. This M6.0 event released about 11 times less energy than that event.