Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes near Kirakira, Bauro Central, Makira-Ulawa Province, Solomon Islands

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported a magnitude 5.9 quake in the Solomon Islands near Kirakira, Bauro Central, Makira-Ulawa Province, only 9 minutes ago. The earthquake hit early morning on Sunday, April 19th, 2026, at 2:03 am local time at a moderately shallow depth of 65. km. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from France's Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS) which listed the quake at magnitude 5.7. Other agencies reporting the same quake include the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) at magnitude 5.9, and the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake at magnitude 5.9.
Generally quakes of this magnitude are recorded by more than one agency and the results can vary, with subsequent reports that come in after the first one often showing more accuracy.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Kirakira (pop. 2,100) located 39 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.


Earthquake data:
Date & time: Apr 18, 2026 03:03 pm (Universal Time) local time (18 Apr 2026 15:03 GMT)
Magnitude: 5.9
Depth: 65.00 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 10.48°S / 161.56°E (Haununu, Makira-Ulawa Province, Solomon Islands)
Primary data source: EMSC
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/300206/Magnitude-59-earthquake-strikes-near-Kirakira-Bauro-Central-Makira-Ulawa-Province-Solomon-Islands.html