Hawaii woke up to word of a strong earthquake near Borneo early Sunday, but emergency officials quickly confirmed there was no tsunami threat to the islands. Preliminary readings put the quake at roughly magnitude 6.8 to 7.1, with an origin time of 6:58 a.m. HST, coordinates near 6.9°N, 116.2°E, and an unusually deep focus of about 600 kilometers. Because the shaking started so far beneath the Earth and so far from Hawaii, state officials said it did not pose a tsunami hazard. Residents were urged to stick to official channels for updates and to call 9-1-1 for emergencies.
NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS MAGNITUDE - 6.8 ORIGIN TIME - 0658 AM HST 22 FEB 2026 COORDINATES - 6.9 N 116.2 E DEPTH - 373 MILES / 600 KM LOCATION - BORNEO THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.
— Hawaii EMA (@hawaii_ema) February 22, 2026
Official Assessment
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency pushed out the all-clear on X, posting preliminary parameters for the quake and repeating that there is "no tsunami threat to Hawaii," according to Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. The message lists the origin time as 6:58 a.m. HST and places the epicenter near Borneo at about 6.9°N, 116.2°E, with a depth close to 600 kilometers. The agency also reminded followers that its social accounts are not monitored 24/7 and that emergencies should go through 9-1-1. State and county emergency offices said they were monitoring the situation.
What Seismologists Recorded
While Hawaii officials focused on coastal safety, seismologists zeroed in on the numbers. Overseas seismographs tagged the event as a deep, strong quake and returned slightly different estimates. U.S. data compiled by news outlets, citing the U.S. Geological Survey, put the magnitude at about 7.1 and the depth near 620 kilometers, according to Newsweek. On the ground, local Malaysian reports said residents in parts of Sabah felt shaking but there were no immediate reports of damage, according to AFP via The Economic Times. Small differences in early magnitude estimates are routine as analysts refine data from global seismic networks.
Why A Tsunami Threat Was Dismissed
Tsunami specialists do not just look at how big an earthquake is. Before issuing alerts, they assess factors such as depth, the way the fault moved and real-time sea-level data. In this case, the quake was so deep that it was unlikely to lift or drop the seafloor enough to drive a destructive ocean wave, as NOAA explains on tsunami.gov. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and partner agencies continue to watch ocean sensors and computer models and will publish updates if any abnormal activity appears.
What Residents Should Know
For now, Hawaii officials say people can stand down from any tsunami worries and keep enjoying the shoreline as usual, while staying plugged in to county alerts and local media in case anything changes. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency website also reminds the public that social media accounts are not monitored around the clock and that true emergencies belong with 9-1-1, according to Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. At this time, no state tsunami warnings are in effect for Hawaii.
