Hawaii earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 3 km NW of Puako, Hawaii

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 3 km NW of Puako, Hawaii on Fri, May 14, 1982, 6:26 AM HST (16:26 UTC), 17 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 52 km WNW of Kalaoa, Hawaii. This one was a foreshock.

Puako forecast More in Hawaii

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.8 (ML, local (Richter)), light
Magnitude from: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Local time: Fri, May 14, 1982, 6:26 AM HST
UTC: 1982-05-14 16:26:31 UTC
Depth: 16.8 km (10.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 19.996° N, 155.859° W
Region: Hawaii
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
4.8	ML, local (Richter)	Hawaiian Volcano Observatory	Preferred · Final · ±0.1 · 2 stations
4.5	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · 1 stations
4.5	mb, body-wave	USGS historic United States catalog	Final

What happened

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

Felt on the northern part of Hawaii and on Maui.

Maximum observed Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) V

From the USGS event page for hv19821203. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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 1.5 km horizontally, 4.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.10
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 203°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 45

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and 161 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 199.

Before

Earthquakes today Hawaii earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event hv19821203 (also filed as ushis3749, usp0001mas). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:59 AM UTC.