QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 5.5ml

Earthquake near Volcano, HI

No earthquake was likely felt in Volcano in the 24 hours to 3:18 am HST (13:18 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 6 km (4 mi) W, at 11:09 am HST on 11 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Volcano

This page: a magnitude 5.5 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) south-southeast of Volcano, HI, at 12:55 am HST on 13 March 2019 (10:55 UTC), 7.0 km deep. 1,998 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 13 km SSE of Volcano, Hawaii

42 km (26 mi) SSW of Hilo, HI

12:55 am HST, Mar 13, 2019 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 3.1 kilotons of TNT

Every earthquake near Volcano Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hawaii County 44 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
12:55 am HST on 13 March 2019 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) south-southeast of Volcano, HI · earthquakes near Volcano
Hawaii today
every earthquake in Hawaii in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 5.5 (ml)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
1,998 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Hawaii County, 44 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Hilina fault system, under 1 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 326 days ago

This was a moderate earthquake. Shaking at this size can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 267 km (166 mi) from the epicentre. In Volcano, 13 km away, the estimate is intensity V (moderate). 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: Volcano 13 km, intensity V · Mountain View 27 km, intensity V · Pāhala 32 km, intensity IV · Leilani Estates 34 km, intensity IV · Hawaiian Paradise Park 38 km, intensity IV · Hilo 46 km, intensity IV. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 3.1 kilotons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 6.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 55× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2.5× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 5.5 about 3.1 kilotons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 6,500× 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 110 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 46 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 17 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii · 21 km E of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 Island of Hawai`i, Hawaii · 19 km E of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 22 km W of Volcano, Hawaii · 28 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 Kaoiki area, Hawaii · 24 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 Kilauea South Flank, Hawaii · 19 km E 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 19.3258, -155.2005. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hawaii County, HI 44 km (27 mi) NW 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. 2.1 9 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  2. 2.1 8 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  3. 1.8 8 km SSE of Fern Forest, Hawaii
  4. 2.2 15 km S of Volcano, Hawaii
  5. 2.4 15 km S of Volcano, Hawaii
  6. 2.0 8 km NNE of Wai‘?hinu, Hawaii
  7. 1.8 31 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii
  8. 1.9 16 km NNE of P?hala, Hawaii
  9. 3.0 22 km N of P?hala, Hawaii
  10. 1.8 18 km W of Volcano, Hawaii
  11. 3.3 11 km SSE of Fern Forest, Hawaii
  12. 2.3 28 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii
  13. 2.0 25 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii
  14. 2.1 26 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii
  15. 1.7 13 km WNW of Mountain View, 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.