Early-morning 4.5 magnitude quake rattles offshore of Hawai‘i Island

An early-morning magnitude 4.5 earthquake on Wednesday, 11 miles southeast of Pāhala, had no apparent impact on either Mauna Loa or Kīlauea volcanoes.

According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the shaker struck at 2:14 a.m. at a depth of 21 miles below sea level. More than 169 “Felt Reports” were documented within the first hour of the tremor, which was felt widely across Hawai‘i Island.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake as a magnitude 4.6.

Aftershocks are possible in the coming days to weeks. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to monitor Hawaiian volcanoes for any changes.

No damage to buildings or infrastructure is expected given the earthquake’s intensity, and no tsunami threat was triggered.

This earthquake is part of the seismic swarm under the Pāhala area, which has been going on since 2019. Earthquakes in this region have been observed at least as far back as the 1960s.

Click here to read more about the swarm.