QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Earthquake near Pāhala, HI

No earthquake was likely felt in Pāhala in the 24 hours to 8:29 am HST (18:29 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 2.6 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) east of Pāhala, HI, at 3:12 am HST on 21 May 2020 (13:12 UTC), 23 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 18 km E of P?hala, Hawaii

59 km (37 mi) SSW of Hilo, HI

3:12 am HST, May 21, 2020 · · 23 km deep · released about 280 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Pāhala Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hawaii County 49 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
3:12 am HST on 21 May 2020 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) east of Pāhala, HI · earthquakes near Pāhala
Hawaii today
every earthquake in Hawaii in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
23 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Hawaii County, 49 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Hilina fault system, 8 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 2289 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 7 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Pāhala, 19 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Volcano.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 280 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 53,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 38,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 280 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 6.9 on 2018-05-04 — about 2,400,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 48 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 17 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii · 35 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 Island of Hawai`i, Hawaii · 34 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 22 km W of Volcano, Hawaii · 30 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 Kaoiki area, Hawaii · 28 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 Kilauea South Flank, Hawaii · 34 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 19.1968, -155.3017. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hawaii County, HI 49 km (31 mi) NNW 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. 2.9 10 km E of P?hala, Hawaii
  2. 2.0 5 km SSE of P?hala, Hawaii
  3. 1.8 12 km S of Fern Forest, Hawaii
  4. 2.3 4 km E of P?hala, Hawaii
  5. 1.8 9 km E of P?hala, Hawaii
  6. 1.8 8 km ENE of P?hala, Hawaii
  7. 1.8 29 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii
  8. 2.4 6 km ENE of P?hala, Hawaii
  9. 1.8 13 km SSE of Volcano, Hawaii
  10. 2.1 8 km ENE of P?hala, Hawaii
  11. 1.9 5 km E of P?hala, Hawaii
  12. 2.1 9 km ENE of P?hala, Hawaii
  13. 2.4 7 km ENE of P?hala, Hawaii
  14. 2.0 8 km E of P?hala, Hawaii
  15. 2.0 8 km E 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.