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

Landslides and tsunamis on the islands of

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.

References

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

Earthquake

Characteristic

Effects

See also

References

Further reading

External links