Significant Magnitude 5.0 Quake Hits 29 km Southwest of Honiara, Solomon Islands in the Morning

An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 occurred in the morning on Wednesday, February 1st, 2023, at 11:21 am local time near Honiara, Solomon Islands, as reported by the United States Geological Survey.
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 29.6 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. 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.
A second report was later issued by the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, which listed it as a magnitude 5.0 earthquake as well. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.0.

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 Malango (pop. 10,500) located 12 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Honiara (pop. 56,300) located 29 km from the epicenter.
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:

I felt this quake

Date & time: Feb 1, 2023 11:21 am (GMT +11) local time (1 Feb 2023 00:21 GMT)
Magnitude: 5.0
Depth: 29.6 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 9.59°S / 159.74°E (Solomon Islands)
Primary data source: USGS