Real-time coverage of earthquake event — 13 km S of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii — Pandita Data.
🌍 OPEN LIVE 3D EARTHQUAKE MAPA magnitude 5.96 earthquake struck 13 kilometres south of Honaunau-Napoopoo on Hawaii's Big Island on 23 May 2026 at 07:46 UTC, with a focal depth of 22.6 kilometres. The USGS received felt reports from 7,047 people across the island. No tsunami warning was issued, and the PAGER alert level is YELLOW, indicating limited casualties and economic damage are expected. The moderate depth and location within Hawaii's active volcanic zone classify this as a crustal rupture rather than a subduction-zone thrust event, making it significant for local infrastructure but not a regional tsunami threat.
Hawaii sits atop the Pacific Plate, which moves northwest at roughly 8 centimetres per year. The Big Island, the youngest in the Hawaiian chain, is positioned directly above the hotspot—a stationary plume of hot mantle material rising beneath the Pacific lithosphere. This creates two competing stress regimes: (1) plate motion and (2) active volcanism. The earthquake occurred within the Kona seismic zone, a region of intense normal-fault and strike-slip faulting caused by the gravitational loading and spreading of the Island of Hawaii's volcanic edifice. The Kailua volcano complex and Hualalai volcano dominate this area, making it one of the most seismically active regions in the Hawaiian Islands despite being away from the main subduction boundary.
At magnitude 5.96, this earthquake released approximately 2.5 × 1019 joules of energy—equivalent to 6 megatonnes of TNT. The 22.6-kilometre depth places the rupture in the upper oceanic crust, above the transition zone where rock behaviour shifts from brittle (fracturing) to ductile (flowing). Shallow earthquakes in this depth range typically exhibit stronger ground shaking near the epicentre but decay more rapidly with distance than deeper events. The Kona seismic zone experiences primarily normal-faulting and strike-slip earthquakes due to the outward spreading and subsidence of the volcanic island. This mechanism differs fundamentally from subduction-zone thrust faulting, which generates larger magnitude and more frequent tsunami-capable ruptures.
Ground shaking intensity: Expected Modified Mercalli intensity IV–VI near the epicentre (felt indoors, possible minor structural damage). Attenuation: Shaking energy decreases rapidly beyond 30 km radius. Tsunami potential: Negligible; shallow normal-faulting events produce vertical displacement too small and sudden to generate significant ocean surface displacement. Aftershock risk: Moderate; expect M3–M4 aftershocks within 1–2 weeks.
Honaunau-Napoopoo, located on the Kona coast, is a historically significant Hawaiian settlement and popular tourism destination. The surrounding region includes Kealakekua Bay, home to Captain Cook Monument and vital coral reef ecosystems. Communities within 20 kilometres—including Kona, Holualoa, and Captain Cook—experienced light to moderate shaking. Infrastructure assessments should focus on older masonry structures, unreinforced concrete buildings, and water/power systems. The Big Island experienced a similar magnitude 6.0 event in 2006 in the same seismic zone with no tsunami; today's event follows that historical precedent. No major hospitals or critical infrastructure failures have been reported.
Real-time earthquake monitoring and three-dimensional rupture visualizations are now available through Pandita Data's live USGS-powered earthquake simulation module. Track aftershock evolution, inspect focal mechanisms, and understand stress transfer dynamics across the Kona seismic zone using interactive 3D mapping of plate boundaries and volcanic structures.
FAQ::[ {"q":"What caused this earthquake?","a":"Normal faulting in the Kona seismic zone, driven by gravitational spreading and subsidence of Hawaii's volcanic island complex, combined with Pacific Plate motion."}, {"q":"Is a tsunami risk associated with this event?","a":"No. The shallow normal-faulting mechanism produces insufficient vertical seafloor displacement to generate a tsunami; NOAA issued no warning."}, {"q":"What should people near Honaunau-