QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0ml

Earthquake near Leilani Estates, HI

USGS: 11 km SSE of Leilani Estates, Hawaii

41 km (25 mi) SE of Hilo, HI

6:39 pm HST, Oct 6, 2026 · · 8.3 km deep · released about 1,100 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hawaii County 71 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
6:39 pm HST on 6 October 2026 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) SSE of Leilani Estates, HI · earthquakes near Leilani Estates
Magnitude
M 3.0 (ml)
Depth
8.3 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Hawaii County, 71 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Hilina fault system, 20 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 17 hours ago

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) SSE of Leilani Estates, HI, at 6:39 pm HST on 6 October 2026 (04:39 UTC). 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS. 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 38 km (24 mi) from the epicentre. In Leilani Estates, 11 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Nanawale Estates, Hawaiian Beaches, Ainaloa, Orchidlands Estates, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaiian Acres.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 310,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 14,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 9,800× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 1,100 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 620,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 27 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 17 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii · 16 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 Island of Hawai`i, Hawaii · 17 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 Kilauea South Flank, Hawaii · 17 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.2 8 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii · 46 km W of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 13 km SSE of Fern Forest, Hawaii · 24 km W 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 19.3867, -154.8593. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hawaii County, HI 71 km (44 mi) WNW earthquakes near Hawaii County

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

Aftershocks so far

1 earthquake has been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.6 6 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.

Revisions

USGS refines a solution as more stations report. Every change we have seen is listed here.

What changedFromToWhen
review statusautomaticreviewed
location11 km SE of Leilani Estates, Hawaii11 km SSE of Leilani Estates, Hawaii
longitude-154.86-154.86
latitude19.3919.39
depth6.888.28
magnitude2.843.04
reported intensity3.43.3
felt reports1112
reported intensity3.33.4
felt reports1011
reported intensity3.23.3
felt reports910

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.