Moderate 5.3-magnitude quake off Solomon Islands
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SYDNEY — A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands early Thursday, US geologists said.
The US Geological Survey said the tremor, at a depth of 43 kilometers (27 miles), struck off the southwest coast of the main Guadalcanal Island at 3:56 am local time (16:56 GMT).
The epicenter was 118 kilometers southeast of the Solomons’ capital Honiara. The USGS said the risk of damage was low.
The Solomons are part of the “Ring of Fire,” a zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific that is subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In 2007, a tsunami following an 8.0-magnitude earthquake killed at least 52 people in the Solomons and left thousands homeless.
The quake lifted an entire island and pushed out its shoreline by dozens of meters.
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