QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.4ml

Earthquake near Hilo, HI

No earthquake was likely felt in Hilo in the 24 hours to 2:18 am HST (12:18 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 41 km (25 mi) S, at 3:09 pm HST on 12 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 6 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Hilo

This page: a magnitude 3.4 earthquake was recorded 41 km (26 mi) south of Hilo, HI, at 3:01 pm HST on 7 May 2018 (01:01 UTC), 5.1 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Island of Hawaii, Hawaii

36 km (23 mi) S of Hilo, HI

3:01 pm HST, May 7, 2018 · · 5.1 km deep · released about 1.7 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Hilo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hawaii County 55 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
3:01 pm HST on 7 May 2018 ()
Where
41 km (26 mi) south of Hilo, HI · earthquakes near Hilo
Hawaii today
every earthquake in Hawaii in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.4 (ml)
Depth
5.1 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Hawaii County, 55 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Hilina fault system, 2 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 1349 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 55 km (34 mi) from the epicentre. In Hilo, 41 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). 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: Leilani Estates 17 km, intensity III · Volcano 22 km, intensity III · Mountain View 23 km, intensity III · Hawaiian Paradise Park 26 km, intensity II · Hilo 41 km, intensity II · Pāhala 50 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.7 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 4,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 3,200× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.4 about 1.7 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 3.5× 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 200,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 38 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 17 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii · 5 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 Island of Hawai`i, Hawaii · 2 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 22 km W of Volcano, Hawaii · 44 km W of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 Kaoiki area, Hawaii · 39 km W of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 Kilauea South Flank, Hawaii · 2 km SE 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 19.3637, -155.0378. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hawaii County, HI 55 km (34 mi) WNW earthquakes near Hawaii County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.0 7 km E of P?hala, Hawaii
  2. 2.8 13 km SSE of Volcano, Hawaii
  3. 1.8 4 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  4. 2.3 5 km SE of Leilani Estates, Hawaii
  5. 2.0 12 km SSE of Volcano, Hawaii
  6. 2.2 3 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  7. 1.8 5 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  8. 2.1 29 km SE of P?hala, Hawaii
  9. 1.7 6 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  10. 2.8 4 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii
  11. 3.3 29 km SE of P?hala, Hawaii
  12. 2.1 6 km SSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  13. 1.9 5 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  14. 2.6 6 km ESE of Leilani Estates, Hawaii
  15. 1.8 15 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.