The 2010 Solomon Islands earthquake occurred with a
moment magnitude
The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mw, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. It was defined in a 1979 pape ...
of 7.1 on January 3 at 22:36:28 (UTC). A
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...
measuring approximately affected some parts of the islands, while a maximum run-up height of was recorded. The earthquake was the largest in a series of quakes to strike the Solomon Islands over the preceding days.
The 7.1 mainshock was preceded by a 6.6 magnitude
foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic event (the mainshock) and is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as ''foreshock'', ''mainshock'' or aftershock is only possible after the full sequ ...
some 48 minutes previous. As many as 1,000 people were left
homeless
Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
* living on the streets, also kn ...
on the island of
Rendova
Rendova is an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea.
Geography
Rendova Island is a roughly rectangularly-shaped island, located in the South Pacific in the New Georgia Islands. The ...
after the earthquake and tsunami destroyed approximately 200 homes.
Earthquake
The shock was located southeast of
Gizo, south west of Dadali,
Santa Isabel and north west of
Honiara
Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lie ...
,
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
.
The earthquake was centered under the
sea floor
The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'.
The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...
near the town of Gizo, which was heavily damaged in the
2007 Solomon Islands earthquake
The 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake took place on 2 April 2007, near the provincial capital of Gizo, Solomon Islands, Gizo on Ghizo Island, in the Solomon Islands. Its magnitude was estimated at 8.1 on the scale, and 7.8 on the scale. The tsun ...
.
Characteristic
Analysis of trench deformation, tsunami run-up heights and wave height data from the ocean revealed that the earthquake was a slow-rupturing "
tsunami earthquake
In seismology, a tsunami earthquake is an earthquake which triggers a tsunami of significantly greater magnitude, as measured by shorter-period seismic waves. The term was introduced by Japanese seismologist Hiroo Kanamori in 1972. Such events a ...
". Such earthquakes rupture the upper 20 km portion of a subduction zone, while releasing less energy compared to an ordinary subduction zone earthquake.
Effects
![January 2010 Solomon Islands earthquake intensity USGS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/January_2010_Solomon_Islands_earthquake_intensity_USGS.jpg)
Landslides and tsunamis on the islands of
Rendova
Rendova is an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea.
Geography
Rendova Island is a roughly rectangularly-shaped island, located in the South Pacific in the New Georgia Islands. The ...
and
Tetepare
Tetepare Island is the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific, located at . It is a part of Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It covers approximately . Tetepare supports pristine lowland rainforest and a rich inshore marine area ...
.
[ A tsunami measuring up to struck Rendova, destroying as many as 200 homes and leaving one-third of Rendova's population homeless.][ A maximum runup of was recorded at ]Rendova Island
Rendova is an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea.
Geography
Rendova Island is a roughly rectangularly-shaped island, located in the South Pacific in the New Georgia Islands. The ...
.
Approximately 1,000 residents have lost their residences, out of the total Rendovan population of just 3,600 people. The village of Retavo, which has a population of approximately 20 people, was hit by a 10-foot tsunami wave.[ Another village, Baniata, reported that sixteen homes were destroyed and thirty-two were damaged by the earthquake and tsunami.][
]
See also
* 2013 Solomon Islands earthquake
The 2013 Solomon Islands earthquake struck Temotu Province within Solomon Islands on 6 February with a Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''). The epic ...
* List of earthquakes in 2010
Earthquakes in 2010 resulted in nearly 165,000 fatalities. Most of these were due to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which caused an estimated 160,000 deaths, making it the 11th deadliest earthquake in recorded history. Other deadly quakes occurred i ...
* List of earthquakes in the Solomon Islands archipelago
References
Further reading
*
External links
Quake Triggers Tsunami in Solomon Islands
– Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon Islands earthquake, 2010
2010 earthquakes
Earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
2010 Solomon
January 2010 events in Oceania
Tsunami earthquakes
2010 tsunamis