Asia and Oceania

The Solomon Islands are a part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; earthquakes, tidal waves and volcanic activity can occur at any time.

 

The 'ring-of-fire' is a horse-shoe-shaped zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that surrounds the basin of the Pacific Ocean.  It is 40,000kms long and is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, island arcs, and volcanic mountain ranges and/or plate movements.

 

It is understood that 90% of the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, which is a direct consequence of plate tectonics and the movement of collisions of crustal plates. The island of Savo, 35 kilometres North West of Honiara, is a cyclically active volcano.

 

Earthquakes

 

At 0740 local time on 2 April 2007 a magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurred off the coast of the western Solomon Islands, close to Gizo.  The earthquake was followed by a tsunami.  Widespread damage occurred in the towns of Gizo, Noro, Simbo, Ranogga, Shortlands, Munda, Vella La Vella, Kolombangara, Taro and the southern coast of Choiseul, including Sasamunga.  There were more than 50 people killed as a result of the earthquake and tsunami.

 

Although destruction of property was widespread, Gizo is slowly returning to normality, with all resorts and hotels open for business.  You should keep in touch with your tour operator for advice on the local situation.

 

Tropical cyclones

 

The tropical cyclone season in the Solomon Islands normally runs from November to May.  You should monitor local and international weather updates from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).  You can also access http://www.nhc.noaa.gov for updates.  See Tropical cyclones for more details.

Between January and April heavy rains and flooding affected the Solomon Islands. Northwest and East Guadalcanal and Savo Island (12km North-west of Guadalcanal) were most affected.  There have been several confirmed deaths, and a number people are still missing as a direct result.  Between 3,000 and 5,000 people were directly affected as a result of the flooding. Many homes and crops in the area were destroyed and local transport infrastructure has been affected.  Several bridges were severely damaged.  See Local Transport Section of this advice. More rain is forecast.