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4.4MAG

LIGHT EARTHQUAKE

southeast of the Loyalty Islands

USGS

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands on 20 Aug 2026, 13:14 UTC. The hypocentre was 120.9 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. 5 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.

Depth
120.9 km

intermediate

Latitude
22.42°S

171.42°E longitude

Time
13:14 UTC

20 Aug 2026

Magnitude
M4.4

mb

EPICENTRE

View the official report

MAGNITUDE 4.4

Noticeable shaking of indoor objects. Damage is unlikely.

The scale is logarithmic: this released about 130 times the energy of a magnitude 3.0, roughly the energy of 60 tonnes of TNT.

120.9 KM DEEP

At this depth the energy spreads before it reaches the surface. Shaking is usually weaker than a shallow earthquake of the same size, but it can be felt across a wider area.

NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS

5 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 5.5.

OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES

M4.4 earthquake — southeast of the Loyalty Islands · Quakewire