Photo: USGS
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake was reported on the Solomon Islands on Friday (March 6), according to the United States Geological Survey.
The earthquake was recorded 6.3 kilometers from Kirakira and centered at a depth of 8.7 kilometers (about 5.4 miles) at 2:27 p.m. UTC. The USGS said it received zero reports of people having felt the earthquake at the time of publication on Friday.
There are currently no tsunami warnings, according to Tsunami.gov. There were no aftershocks reported at the time of publication.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake was the largest reported near Kirakira in the past year and the third in the past 30 days and 23rd in the past 365 days, according to EarthquakeTrack.com. The Kirakira earthquake was also the only one measuring at 1.5-magnitude or greater on the Solomon Islands during the past 24 hours, as well as the third in the past seven days, 10th in the past 30 days and 80th in the past 365 days, according to EarthquakeTrack.com.
Earthquakes measured between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude can be felt by a large population, however, rarely results in much damage, according to Michigan Tech via the Sacramento Bee. An estimated 500,000 detectable earthquakes are reported worldwide annually, however, around 100,000 are felt and only 100 typically result in serious damage.
Officials strongly advise that anyone caught in an earthquake should drop, cover and hold on, according to the Sacramento Bee.