In the evening of Thursday July 9th, 2026, a MAG-4.5 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 173 miles from Honolulu, The United States. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 370 thousand people.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 33 miles (54 km) off the coast of The United States, 173 miles south-east of Honolulu in Hawaii. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 24 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jul 9, 2026 08:17PM (Honolulu Time) - Jul 10, 2026 06:17 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 173 mi SE of Honolulu, Hawaii, The United States. Coordinates 19°13'19"N 156°23'9"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.5 Detected by 56 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 . |
| Depth: | 24 mi (39 km) A quite shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | IV
Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 95% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.
The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.
Roughly 370 thousand people exposed to shaking
This earthquake may have been felt by around 370 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.
The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is III, which corresponds with weak shaking and probably no damage. Roughly 77,210 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 300 thousand). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected.
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,420 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 296,000 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 77,210 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 0 | 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 91 miles (147 km) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Hilo (Hawaii, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hilo is estimated to be around level II on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (very weak shaking, no damage).
A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 91 mi (147 km) NE from epicenter |
Hilo Hawaii, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 107 mi (172 km) N from epicenter |
Kīhei Hawaii, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 116 mi (186 km) N from epicenter |
Kahului Hawaii, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 116 mi (186 km) N from epicenter |
Wailuku Hawaii, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 167 mi (269 km) NW from epicenter |
East Honolulu Hawaii, The United States. |
|
| 173 mi (278 km) NW from epicenter |
Honolulu Hawaii, The United States. |
|
| 175 mi (281 km) NW from epicenter |
Kailua Hawaii, The United States. |
|
| 176 mi (283 km) NW from epicenter |
Kaneohe Hawaii, The United States. |
|
| 181 mi (291 km) NW from epicenter |
‘Ewa Gentry Hawaii, The United States. |
|
| 182 mi (293 km) NW from epicenter |
Pearl City Hawaii, The United States. |
|
| 182 mi (293 km) NW from epicenter |
Kapolei Hawaii, The United States. |
|
| 183 mi (294 km) NW from epicenter |
Waipahu Hawaii, The United States. |
|
| 183 mi (295 km) NW from epicenter |
Makakilo City Hawaii, The United States. |
|
| 184 mi (296 km) NW from epicenter |
Makakilo Hawaii, The United States. |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. A 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit 13 hrs later 36 mi (58 km) east of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. A 2.5 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
3 days earlier Jul 7, 2026 06:31AM (Honolulu Time) | 57 mi (91 km) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.5 |
Jul 9, 2026 08:17PM (Honolulu Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
6 hrs later Jul 10, 2026 02:12AM (Honolulu Time) | 29 mi (47 km) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
13 hrs later Jul 10, 2026 09:25AM (Honolulu Time) | 36 mi (58 km) E from Main Shock. |
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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
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 July 10th, 2026, when a 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 65 mi (105 km) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on May 4th, 2018.
In total, 112 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 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.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 24 mi (39 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 10/07/26 22:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake hv75000056
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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