Shallow M5.2 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean near Hilo (The United States) on Tuesday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 12th, 2026.

A shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 60 miles from Hilo, The United States in the late afternoon of Tuesday August 11th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 220 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 25 miles (40 km) off the coast of The United States, 60 miles south of Hilo in Hawaii. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 7 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 11, 2026 05:48PM (Honolulu Time) - Aug 12, 2026 03:48 Universal Time.
Location:	60 mi south of Hilo, Hawaii, The United States. Coordinates 18°52'44"N 155°13'60"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.2 Detected by 560 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.024 .
Depth:	7 mi (11 km) A very 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 220 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 220 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.

An estimated 3,330 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 170 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
53,970	II	Very weak	None
166,700	III	Weak	Probably none
3,330	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 60 miles (96 km) south 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 III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably 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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
60 mi (96 km) N from epicenter	Hilo Hawaii, The United States.	III Weak
152 mi (245 km) NW from epicenter	Kīhei Hawaii, The United States.
160 mi (258 km) NW from epicenter	Kahului Hawaii, The United States.
162 mi (260 km) NW from epicenter	Wailuku 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.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. Just 4 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-2.6 was detected 4 mi (6 km) east of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 15 smaller foreshocks. A 3.9 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 3.1	3 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 04:30AM (Honolulu Time)	28 mi (46 km) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.5	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 10:56AM (Honolulu Time)	46 mi (75 km) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.6	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 11:57AM (Honolulu Time)	2.2 mi (4 km) S from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.6	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 12:21PM (Honolulu Time)	3 mi (5 km) S from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.7	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 12:35PM (Honolulu Time)	9 mi (14 km) N from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.6	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 01:34PM (Honolulu Time)	4 mi (6 km) SE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.9	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 02:37PM (Honolulu Time)	5 mi (8 km) SW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.0	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 07:13PM (Honolulu Time)	6 mi (9 km) S from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.8	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 08:16PM (Honolulu Time)	2.1 mi (3 km) E from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.8	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 08:21PM (Honolulu Time)	17 mi (27 km) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.4	2 days earlier Aug 9, 2026 08:22PM (Honolulu Time)	1.2 mi (2 km) S from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.1	14 hrs earlier Aug 11, 2026 03:31AM (Honolulu Time)	2.5 mi (4 km) SE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.3	14 hrs earlier Aug 11, 2026 03:55AM (Honolulu Time)	1.4 mi (2.2 km) SE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.9	14 hrs earlier Aug 11, 2026 04:15AM (Honolulu Time)	4 mi (6 km) SE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.3	32 mins earlier Aug 11, 2026 05:16PM (Honolulu Time)	0.7 mi (1.1 km) NW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.2	Aug 11, 2026 05:48PM (Honolulu Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.6	4 hrs later Aug 11, 2026 09:29PM (Honolulu Time)	4 mi (6 km) E from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 May 23rd, 2026, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 51 mi (82 km) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on May 4th, 2018.

In total, 51 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 2 months.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 7 mi (11 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 12/08/26 11:08 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.