Earthquakes medium

M 4.8 Earthquake 18 km SE of Pāhala, Hawaii

Source: USGS · Hawaii

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 18 km SE of Pāhala. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M4.8 is classified "Light". Among the 1,699 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M4.8 event ranks stronger than 53% of them (rank #784 by magnitude).

Read this earthquake report in 30 seconds

Magnitude
M 4.8
USGS class
Light
Location
18 km SE of Pāhala
Archive rank
#784 of 1,699
Source
USGS
Published
July 12, 2026
LIGHT

Stronger than 53% of the 1,699 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive, weaker than 783 others.

Record status: a point-in-time USGS detection. Aftershocks, revised magnitude, and felt-report data continue to update on USGS's own event page after publication.

What Happened

A M 4.8 md earthquake occurred 18 km SE of Pāhala, Hawaii, on 2026-05-17 at 12:14:29 UTC (timestamp 1781698469790). The event was recorded at coordinates 19.0772°N, 155.3685°W with a depth of 29.13 km.

Location Details

The earthquake was located 18 km southeast of Pāhala, Hawaii. Coordinates are latitude 19.0771675109863, longitude -155.368499755859. The depth of 29.13 km classifies as intermediate (20-70 km).

Impact Assessment

No felt reports were recorded. Tsunami advisory status is not active (tsunami field: 0). No alert level was issued.

What You Should Know

This was a light earthquake (M 4.0-4.9). Minor shaking may have been noticed locally.

Source

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/hv74984492 (USGS)

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

Related Earthquakes

All Earthquakes →

M 5.9 Earthquake 253 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor Leste

USGS · September 11, 2026

M 5.3 - 151 km WSW of Adak, Alaska

USGS · September 11, 2026

M 4.2 Earthquake 39 km N of Glacier View, Alaska

USGS · September 11, 2026

Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Similar body length

Nearest notices by article body length (762 characters here).

NSW Rural Fire Service Issues Advice for 245-Hectare Grass Fire Near Gundagai 762 chars Yellow Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for R.M. of De Salaberry 762 chars Yellow Wind Warning for Inverness County - Mabou and North 762 chars GOODSENSE Extra Strength Antacid Recall 762 chars

Similar severity timing

Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to July 12, 2026.

Advice Alert for Bush Fire on Maitland Rd, Hexham medium Grass Fire Advice Issued for Kangaroo St, Raymond Terrace medium Grass Fire Advice Issued for Cawley St, Bellambi medium Grass Fire Alert: Millthorpe Rd, Blayney Under Control medium

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.

What magnitude was this earthquake? ▾
A magnitude 4.8 md earthquake struck 18 km southeast of Pāhala, Hawaii, at a depth of 29.13 km.
What does a magnitude 4.8 ("Light") earthquake mean? ▾
The USGS classifies M4.8 as "Light" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are often felt near the epicenter and can cause minor damage to vulnerable structures, though widespread damage is uncommon.
How does this compare with other earthquakes Areazine has reported? ▾
This is the #784 strongest of the 1,699 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 53% of them and weaker than 783 others.
Was Pāhala likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 18 km SE of Pāhala. Shaking intensity falls off sharply with distance from the epicenter and depends on depth and local geology, so check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data rather than assuming from magnitude and distance alone.

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow (EPA / NOAA)

Real-time AQI for every monitored U.S. location

National Weather Service

Active watches, warnings, and advisories, NOAA

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference behind every AQI category