Hawaii earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 7 km W of P?hala, Hawaii

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 7 km W of P?hala, Hawaii on Thu, Jan 21, 1982, 12:29 PM HST (22:29 UTC), 13 km (8 mi) below the surface.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.6 (ML, local (Richter)), moderate
Magnitude from: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Local time: Thu, Jan 21, 1982, 12:29 PM HST
UTC: 1982-01-21 22:29:13 UTC
Depth: 12.5 km (7.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 19.214° N, 155.550° W
Region: Hawaii
Strongest shaking: VII, very strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.62	ML, local (Richter)	Hawaiian Volcano Observatory	Preferred · Final · ±0.01 · 2 stations
5.6	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · 23 stations
5.57	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
4.8	Ms, surface-wave	USGS historic United States catalog	Final
5.6	Mwc, centroid moment	Global CMT project	Preliminary

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Slight damage (VI) on the southern part of the island. Also felt on Maui and Oahu. CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION HARVARD EVENT-FILE NAME B012182B DATA USED: GDSN L.P. BODY WAVES: 10S, 29C, T=45 CENTROID LOCATION: ORIGIN TIME 22:29:17.8 0.6 LAT 19.20N FIX; LON 155.57W FIX DEP 10.0 FIX;HALF-DURATION 2.5 MOMENT TENSOR; SCALE 10**24 D-CM MRR=0.86 0.09; MTT=-0.00 0.13 MFF=-0.86 0.09; MRT=1.81 0.25 MRF=1.90 0.25; MTF=-0.64 0.10 PRINCIPAL AXES: 1.(T) VAL=2.70;PLG=55;AZM=323 2.(N) 0.25; 8; 222 3.(P) -2.95; 34; 126 BEST DOUBLE COUPLE:M0=2.8*10**24 NP1:STRIKE=185;DIP=13;SLIP=53 NP2:Strike=43;Dip=80;Slip=98

Maximum observed Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) VI

From the USGS event page for hv19820175. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VII, very strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 38.2% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.3 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 0.7 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.01
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 126°
Stations used: 44

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 97 in the 60 days after this one and 28 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 97.

Before

Earthquakes today Hawaii earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event hv19820175 (also filed as gcmtb012182b, ushis3740, usp0001j6t, gcmt19820121222913, iscgem606023, atlas19820121222913). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 2:22 PM UTC.