Earthquakes medium

M 5.0 Earthquake Southeast of the Loyalty Islands (Jul 13, 2026, 9:03 PM UTC)

Source: USGS · South Pacific

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake was recorded by USGS near South Pacific. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M5.0 is classified "Moderate". Among the 1,782 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M5.0 event ranks stronger than 55% of them (rank #627 by magnitude).

This earthquake report, quickly

Magnitude
M 5.0
USGS class
Moderate
Location
South Pacific
Archive rank
#627 of 1,782
Source
USGS
Published
August 5, 2026
MODERATE

Stronger than 55% of the 1,782 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive, weaker than 626 others.

Record status: a point-in-time USGS detection. Aftershocks, revised magnitude, and felt-report data continue to update on USGS's own event page after publication.

What Happened

A magnitude 5.0 mww earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands at 2026-07-12 12:23:37 UTC. The event was recorded at coordinates 22.9464°S, 171.5098°E with a depth of 10 km.

Location Details

The earthquake was located southeast of the Loyalty Islands. The 10 km depth classifies it as shallow (less than 20 km).

Impact Assessment

No felt reports were recorded. There was no tsunami advisory (tsunami field: 0) and no alert level was issued.

What You Should Know

This was a moderate earthquake. Shallow events can be felt more widely but this magnitude typically causes little to no damage.

Source

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000t06d (USGS)

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

Related Earthquakes

All Earthquakes →

M 3.6 - 42 km NE of Ambler, Alaska

USGS · September 22, 2026

M 5.1 Earthquake 88 km NNW of Uken, Japan

USGS · September 22, 2026

M 3.7 Earthquake 37 km SW of Karluk, Alaska

USGS · September 22, 2026

Comparable nationwide notices (length or severity timing) 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Similar body length

Nearest notices by article body length (705 characters here).

Bushfire Advice Alert for Cardiff in Lake Macquarie 705 chars Bushfire Advice Issued for Ash Rd, Prestons 705 chars Bushfire Alert on Oxley Hwy in Yarras 705 chars Planned Burn Alert in Cargo, New South Wales 705 chars

Similar severity timing

Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to August 5, 2026.

Road Weather Alert for Canberra, NSW Due to Fog medium High Risk Air Quality Alert for JBRIK, PRA medium JAFNW, PRA Air Quality Alert: High Risk AQHI Level medium Beckman Coulter AU480 Analyzer Recall medium

Common Questions

Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.

What magnitude was this earthquake? ▾
A magnitude 5.0 mww earthquake occurred southeast of the Loyalty Islands at a depth of 10 km.
How should a magnitude 5.0 ("Moderate") event be understood? ▾
The USGS classifies M5.0 as "Moderate" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are often felt near the epicenter and can cause minor damage to vulnerable structures, though widespread damage is uncommon.
Where does this event rank against Areazine's other recorded earthquakes? ▾
This is the #627 strongest of the 1,782 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 55% of them and weaker than 626 others.
Was South Pacific likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
Whether an earthquake is felt depends on its depth, distance from population centers, and local geology, not magnitude alone. Check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data.

Source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow (EPA / NOAA)

Real-time AQI for every monitored U.S. location

National Weather Service

Active watches, warnings, and advisories, NOAA

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference behind every AQI category