QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.9ml

Earthquake near Pāhala, HI

No earthquake was likely felt in Pāhala in the 24 hours to 8:12 pm HST (06:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 6 km (4 mi) S, at 7:36 pm HST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Pāhala

This page: a magnitude 4.9 earthquake was recorded 17 km (11 mi) east of Pāhala, HI, at 2:37 pm HST on 4 May 2018 (00:37 UTC), 9.3 km deep. 107 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 17 km E of P?hala, Hawaii

58 km (36 mi) SSW of Hilo, HI

2:37 pm HST, May 4, 2018 · · 9.3 km deep · released about 370 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Pāhala Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hawaii County 47 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
2:37 pm HST on 4 May 2018 ()
Where
17 km (11 mi) east of Pāhala, HI · earthquakes near Pāhala
Hawaii today
every earthquake in Hawaii in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 4.9 (ml)
Depth
9.3 km below the surface
Felt
107 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Hawaii County, 47 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Hilina fault system, 6 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2900 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 185 km (115 mi) from the epicentre. In Pāhala, 17 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Pāhala 17 km, intensity IV · Volcano 27 km, intensity IV · Discovery Harbor 38 km, intensity IV · Mountain View 44 km, intensity III · Hawaiian Ocean View 50 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 370 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 450× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 20× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 14× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.9 about 370 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 790× more

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 6.9 on 2018-05-04 — about 900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 47 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 17 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii · 36 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 Island of Hawai`i, Hawaii · 35 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 22 km W of Volcano, Hawaii · 27 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 Kaoiki area, Hawaii · 25 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 Kilauea South Flank, Hawaii · 35 km ENE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 19.2150, -155.3168. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hawaii County, HI 47 km (29 mi) NNW earthquakes near Hawaii County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

59 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.0 20 km SSE of Volcano, Hawaii
  2. 2.7 9 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  3. 2.7 9 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  4. 2.4 16 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii
  5. 2.3 16 km SSE of Volcano, Hawaii
  6. 2.6 19 km ESE of Pāhala, Hawaii
  7. 2.1 16 km E of Pāhala, Hawaii
  8. 2.0 9 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  9. 3.0 14 km S of Fern Forest, Hawaii
  10. 2.5 10 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  11. 2.3 9 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  12. 1.8 13 km SSE of Volcano, Hawaii
  13. 2.9 15 km S of Fern Forest, Hawaii
  14. 1.7 8 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  15. 3.2 14 km SSE of Fern Forest, Hawaii

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.