The US Geological Survey said the quake was measured at a depth of about 35 kilometres (22 miles) and struck 146 kilometres southeast of the town of Gizo at 4.51 pm (0551 GMT).

Two aftershocks, one of 5.0 magnitude, the other 5.4, followed about two hours later.

Like much of the Pacific, the Solomons regularly experiences earthquakes.

A string of earthquakes rocked the western Solomon Islands late Tuesday and early Wednesday, with the largest recorded at 6.9-magnitude, followed by five aftershocks.

The tremors followed a series of quakes on Monday, with the largest one of 7.2 causing a tsunami estimated at eight feet (nearly 2.5 metres).

Around 1,000 people -- almost a third of the population -- are believed to have been left homeless on Rendova island due to earthquake and tsunami damage.

In April 2007, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the western Solomons triggered a tsunami that killed more than 50 people and displaced thousands. Gizo harbour lost most of it wharves and jetties in the quake and subsequent tsunami.

In September last year, a devastating tsunami swept along coasts in the Pacific islands of Samoa and Tonga, killing 186 people and wiping out entire villages.

Villages and resorts in Samoa, American Samoa and northern Tonga were flattened by the giant waves generated by the massive earthquake, the strongest in a nearly a century.

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