Under land 27 miles from Hilo in The United States, a shallow M4.6 earthquake occurred just before midnight of Tuesday November 25th, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 280 thousand people.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 27 miles (44 km) south of Hilo in Hawaii. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 4 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 25, 2025 11:49PM (Honolulu Time) - Nov 26, 2025 09:49 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 27 mi south of Hilo, Hawaii, The United States. Coordinates 19°20'10"N 155°4'31"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.6 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| Depth: | 4 mi (6 km) A very shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | V
Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (2 mi from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Minimal impact predicted
Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.
The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.
Roughly 280 thousand people exposed to shaking
The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 280 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.
The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 100,900 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level II was experienced by a large group of people (around 110 thousand). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected.
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78,470 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 111,200 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 70,540 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 100,900 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 0 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 0 | VI |
Strong | Light |
| 0 | VII |
Very Strong | Moderate |
| 0 | VIII |
Severe | Moderate to heavy |
| 0 | IX |
Violent | Heavy |
| 0 | X |
Extreme | Very heavy |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 27 miles (44 km) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Hilo (Hawaii, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. Hilo experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 27 mi (44 km) N from epicenter |
Hilo Hawaii, The United States. |
IV
Light |
| 133 mi (214 km) NW from epicenter |
Kīhei Hawaii, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 140 mi (226 km) NW from epicenter |
Kahului Hawaii, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 142 mi (229 km) NW from epicenter |
Wailuku Hawaii, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 6 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-2.9 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
2 days earlier Nov 24, 2025 03:11AM (Honolulu Time) | 23 mi (37 km) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
2 days earlier Nov 24, 2025 08:57AM (Honolulu Time) | 30 mi (48 km) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier Nov 24, 2025 09:01AM (Honolulu Time) | 30 mi (48 km) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
2 days earlier Nov 24, 2025 09:07AM (Honolulu Time) | 30 mi (48 km) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
10 hrs earlier Nov 25, 2025 01:42PM (Honolulu Time) | 50 mi (81 km) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
11 mins earlier Nov 25, 2025 11:38PM (Honolulu Time) | 25 mi (40 km) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.6 |
Nov 25, 2025 11:49PM (Honolulu Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 5th, 2024, when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 31 mi (50 km) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on May 4th, 2018.
In total, 91 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every month.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (2 mi from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 4 mi (6 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 14/12/25 02:08 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake hv74837442
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251126_0000133
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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