Earthquake.now

M6.4 Earthquake near Lata, Solomon Islands — 09 November 2026

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 was recorded near Lata, Solomon Islands on , with an epicentre 30 km west-southwest of Lata, at a focal depth of 17.0 km. It ranked as the 2nd strongest of 2 earthquakes recorded in the Solomon Islands in the preceding 30 days.

6.4 Strong

Time (UTC): 2026-11-09 03:34:59

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 6.4 (strong)

Focal depth: 17.0 km (shallow)

Epicentre: -10.8669, 165.5620

Location: 30 km WSW of Lata, 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 6.4 earthquake radiates roughly 60,036 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 630, which meets 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 14:37 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was shallower than 62% of the 145 earthquakes recorded in the Solomon Islands in our catalogue and stronger than 99% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -10.8669, 165.5620 — 30 km west-southwest of Lata. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.9 earthquake 32 km southeast of here on 26 August 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Lata (194 km south-southeast) and Sola (259 km south-southeast).

Why the 17 km depth matters

At 17 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 M6.4 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

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

72 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.3 event near Lata on 14 August 2025. This M6.4 event released about 1.4 times more energy than that event.

12 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 November 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the Solomon Islands during November 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 Lata?

It measured magnitude 6.4 — a strong earthquake. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake radiates roughly 60,036 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Lata?

The focus was 17 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Lata earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 6.4 and a focal depth of 17 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Lata happen?

09 November 2026 at 03:34 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

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

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

How often do earthquakes happen near Lata?

72 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.3 event near Lata on 14 August 2025. This M6.4 event released about 1.4 times more energy than that event.