QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1ml

Earthquake near Fern Forest, HI

No earthquake was likely felt in Fern Forest in the 24 hours to 8:25 am HST (18:25 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 6 km (4 mi) SSW, at 7:22 pm HST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fern Forest

This page: a magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 23 km (14 mi) south of Fern Forest, HI, at 12:18 pm HST on 18 February 2024 (22:18 UTC), 40 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 22 km S of Fern Forest, Hawaii

48 km (30 mi) S of Hilo, HI

12:18 pm HST, Feb 18, 2024 · · 40 km deep · released about 1,300 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Fern Forest Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hawaii County 56 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
12:18 pm HST on 18 February 2024 ()
Where
23 km (14 mi) south of Fern Forest, HI · earthquakes near Fern Forest
Hawaii today
every earthquake in Hawaii in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.1 (ml)
Depth
40 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Hawaii County, 56 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Hilina fault system, 5 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 933 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Fern Forest, 23 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, Eden Roc, Fern Acres.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,300 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 11,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 7,900× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,300 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.4× 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 500,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 44 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 17 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii · 14 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 Island of Hawai`i, Hawaii · 14 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 22 km W of Volcano, Hawaii · 40 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 Kaoiki area, Hawaii · 36 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 Kilauea South Flank, Hawaii · 14 km NE 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 19.2590, -155.1128. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hawaii County, HI 56 km (35 mi) NW 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. 1.8 4 km SSW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  2. 1.8 1 km SW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  3. 2.0 23 km S of Volcano, Hawaii
  4. 3.3 46 km ESE of Naalehu, Hawaii
  5. 3.0 47 km ESE of Naalehu, Hawaii
  6. 1.7 10 km SW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii
  7. 1.9 3 km SW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  8. 1.8 2 km SW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  9. 2.6 5 km S of Pāhala, Hawaii
  10. 1.7 10 km ENE of Pāhala, Hawaii
  11. 1.8 11 km SE of Pāhala, Hawaii
  12. 2.0 5 km S of Pāhala, Hawaii
  13. 1.8 43 km ESE of Naalehu, Hawaii
  14. 2.1 44 km ESE of Naalehu, Hawaii
  15. 2.2 12 km NE of Pāhala, 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.