QuakeIndex

Earthquake · automatic estimate, may change

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Kailua-Kona, HI

No earthquake was likely felt in Kailua-Kona in the 24 hours to 1:41 pm HST (23:41 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 14 km (9 mi) NNE, at 12:08 pm HST on 6 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 29 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Kailua-Kona

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) east-southeast of Kailua-Kona, HI, at 4:04 pm HST on 1 May 2019 (02:04 UTC), less than 1 km deep. The magnitude and location are an automatic first estimate and may change.

USGS: 30 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii

56 km (35 mi) WSW of Hilo, HI

4:04 pm HST, May 1, 2019 · · -1.8 km deep · released about 12 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Kailua-Kona Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hawaii County 15 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
4:04 pm HST on 1 May 2019 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) east-southeast of Kailua-Kona, HI · earthquakes near Kailua-Kona
Hawaii today
every earthquake in Hawaii in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
-1.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hawaii County, 15 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Mauna Loa Volcano, under 1 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Automatic — a machine’s first estimate, which may change

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2753 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Kailua-Kona, 47 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 12 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 80× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 12 lb of TNT

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 5.5 on 2019-03-13 — about 520,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 32 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 22 km W of Volcano, Hawaii · 15 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 Kaoiki area, Hawaii · 20 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 6.3 20 km SSW of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii · 43 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.2 8 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii · 31 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 21 km N of Pahala, Hawaii · 17 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 19.4880, -155.5777. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hawaii County, HI 15 km (9 mi) NNE earthquakes near Hawaii County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 14 km S of Fern Forest, Hawaii
  2. 1.8 6 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  3. 1.9 27 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii
  4. 1.8 7 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  5. 1.9 25 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii
  6. 2.1 Island of Hawaii, Hawaii
  7. 1.8 8 km E of P?hala, Hawaii
  8. 2.0 13 km SSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  9. 1.8 8 km ENE of P?hala, Hawaii
  10. 1.9 17 km N of P?hala, Hawaii
  11. 1.9 8 km ENE of P?hala, Hawaii
  12. 1.8 14 km S of Fern Forest, Hawaii
  13. 2.7 5 km SSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  14. 2.9 5 km SSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  15. 1.7 3 km ESE of P?hala, 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.