QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.1ml

Earthquake near Pāhala, HI

No earthquake was likely felt in Pāhala in the 24 hours to 2:25 pm HST (00:25 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 4.1 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) south of Pāhala, HI, at 8:36 pm HST on 17 September 2026 (06:36 UTC), 12 km deep. 106 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km S of Pāhala, Hawaii

8:36 pm HST, Sep 17, 2026 · · 12 km deep · released about 19 tons 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
8:36 pm HST on 17 September 2026 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) south of Pāhala, HI · earthquakes near Pāhala
Hawaii today
every earthquake in Hawaii in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 4.1 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
106 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Hawaii County, 49 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Ka'oiki-Honu'apo fault system, 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 55 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 101 km (63 mi) from the epicentre. In Pāhala, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Pāhala 5 km, intensity IV · Discovery Harbor 21 km, intensity III · Hawaiian Ocean View 32 km, intensity III · Volcano 41 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 19 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 9,100× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 410× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 290× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.1 about 19 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 39× 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 6.2 on 2021-10-10 — about 1,700 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 43 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 22 km W of Volcano, Hawaii · 30 km N of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 Kaoiki area, Hawaii · 31 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 6.3 20 km SSW of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii · 49 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.2 8 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii · 33 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 21 km N of Pahala, Hawaii · 27 km N 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 19.1577, -155.4763. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hawaii County, HI 49 km (30 mi) N earthquakes near Hawaii County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 7 km S of Pāhala, Hawaii
  2. 1.9 3 km SSW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  3. 1.9 11 km NNE of Pāhala, Hawaii
  4. 2.0 4 km SSW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  5. 2.1 4 km SSW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  6. 1.7 0 km WNW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  7. 1.8 12 km SE of Pāhala, Hawaii
  8. 1.2 11 km NE of Pāhala, Hawaii
  9. 1.8 13 km SSW of Volcano, Hawaii
  10. 1.7 3 km SSW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  11. 1.9 20 km ESE of Naalehu, Hawaii
  12. 1.8 2 km SW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  13. 1.6 4 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii
  14. 2.6 3 km SW of Pāhala, Hawaii
  15. 1.8 22 km ESE of Naalehu, 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.