The quake was reportedly 5.8 kilometers (3.6 miles) deep near the Santa Cruz islands, part of the Solomon Islands nation.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, and Wallis and Futuna islands.
A tsunami watch was in effect for more places, in particular Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia.