M2.8 earthquake 9 km S of Waimea, Hawaii, United States
A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 9 km S of Waimea, Hawaii, United States at 07:05 local time (17:05 UTC) on 18 Sept 2026, at a depth of 11 km, according to USGS.
11 reports to USGS “Did You Feel It?”
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-25 15:19 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 2.8micro
local magnitude (Richter) (ml) - Depth
- 11.1 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-18 17:05:01 UTC
- Local: 18 Sept 2026, 07:05:01 (Pacific/Honolulu)
- Epicentre
- 19.936° N, 155.684° W
Circles show this event and others within 30 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| WaimeaHawaii, United States · pop. 9,212 | 9 km | IIWeak |
| KalaoaHawaii, United States · pop. 9,644 | 39 km | INot felt |
| HiloHawaii, United States · pop. 43,263 | 66 km | INot felt |
| KīheiHawaii, United States · pop. 20,881 | 122 km | INot felt |
| KahuluiHawaii, United States · pop. 26,337 | 134 km | INot felt |
| HonoluluHawaii, United States · pop. 350,964 | 273 km | INot felt |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 6 km.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS · HV, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS · HVheadlineHawaiian Volcano Observatory via U.S. Geological Survey | 2.8 ml | 11.1 km | 19.94° N, 155.68° W | – | Reviewed |
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How big was it?
Usually not felt. Recorded by nearby seismometers; thousands occur worldwide every day.
It released roughly the energy of 231 kg of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 11 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M2.8 releases about 31× the energy of M1.8, and its waves are about 9.8× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 231 kg of TNT vs 8 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M1.8. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
5 later earthquakes within 30 km; the largest was M2.4 2 days ago. 1 in the 7 days before. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M2.8
5 later earthquakes nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 93.72 | 2.2 | 44 |
| 94.06 | 1.8 | 32 |
| 95.22 | 1.8 | 13 |
| 157.12 | 1.7 | 26 |
| 175.98 | 2.4 | 10 |
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Event id hv74000249. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:11 UTC. Solutions: USGS · HV (usgs:hv74000249). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M2.8 earthquake 9 km S of Waimea, Hawaii, United States”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/hv74000249-m2-8-earthquake-9-km-s-of-waimea-hawaii-united-states, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/hv74000249. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.