Magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Solomon Islands: Third quake in less than 24 hours recorded off Australia’s coast

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, making it the third quake recorded off Australia’s coast in less than 24 hours.

The tremor was at a depth of 35km and the epicentre was at a distance 79km south of Panguna, Papua New Guinea. 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said initially that Monday’s quake was of magnitude 5.6 but later lowered the reading to 5.3.

The Bureau of Meteorology has said there is no tsunami threat to Australia. 

This comes after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake shook Tonga around 9.30am local time. 

The quake was at a depth of 112km and the epicenter was at a distance of 70km northwest of Fangale’ounga, Ha’apai on Foa Island, the USGS reported.

Tongan officials urged people to ‘evacuate immediately inland, to high ground or to the third level of a steel or concrete building’ until the threat passed. 

It is understood that tsunami sirens were sounded on the island until the warning was cancelled an hour later. 

There have been no reports of damage or casualties. 

The tremor was at a depth of 60km and the epicentre was at a distance 79km south of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

Vanuatu was also rocked by a magnitude 6.4 quake around 9.30am local time on Sunday. 

The undersea quake occurred north of Port Villa, Vanuatu’s capital, about 9.23am local time at a depth of 32km, the government-run Geoscience Australia portal states. 

Vanuatu, Tonga and the Solomon Islands sit on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where much of the world’s earthquake and volcanic activity occurs. 

More to come.