QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2ml

Earthquake near Hilo, HI

No earthquake was likely felt in Hilo in the 24 hours to 4:45 pm HST (02:45 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 3.2 earthquake was recorded 36 km (22 mi) west of Hilo, HI, at 4:37 am HST on 21 May 2024 (14:37 UTC), 23 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 33 km SSW of Pa‘auilo, Hawaii

37 km (23 mi) W of Hilo, HI

4:37 am HST, May 21, 2024 · · 23 km deep · released about 1.1 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Hilo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hawaii County 18 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
4:37 am HST on 21 May 2024 ()
Where
36 km (22 mi) west of Hilo, HI · earthquakes near Hilo
Hawaii today
every earthquake in Hawaii in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.2 (ml)
Depth
23 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Hawaii County, 18 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 830 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 42 km (26 mi) from the epicentre. In Hilo, 36 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: Laupāhoehoe 33 km, intensity II · Pepeekeo 35 km, intensity II · Hilo 36 km, intensity II · Honoka‘a 37 km, intensity II · Volcano 40 km, intensity II · Waimea 40 km, intensity II · Mountain View 40 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.1 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 160,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 7,200× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1.1 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.2× 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 5.4 on 2018-06-01 — about 1,800 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 22 km W of Volcano, Hawaii · 36 km S of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 Kaoiki area, Hawaii · 35 km S of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 8 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii · 41 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 6.2 21 km N of Pahala, Hawaii · 39 km S of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 3 km WSW of Honomu, Hawaii · 32 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 19.7477, -155.4308. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hawaii County, HI 18 km (11 mi) SSW earthquakes near Hawaii County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 7 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  2. 1.8 7 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  3. 1.7 3 km SSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  4. 1.8 2 km WSW of Wainaku, Hawaii
  5. 1.9 7 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  6. 1.8 5 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  7. 1.8 6 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  8. 3.4 12 km S of Waikoloa, Hawaii
  9. 2.2 7 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  10. 2.1 7 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  11. 1.8 5 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  12. 1.9 6 km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  13. 1.9 7 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  14. 2.1 7 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  15. 1.9 7 km SW of Volcano, 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.