The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded a 4.3 magnitude earthquake located east-northeast of Pāhala .The earthquake, which occurred today at 2:13pm, was centered approximately 5 miles east-northeast of Pāhala, at a depth of 21 miles. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reports that the quake posed no tsunami threat to Hawai’i Island.
Light shaking, with maximum Intensity of IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, has been reported across parts of the Island of Hawai‘i. At that intensity, significant damage to buildings or structures is not expected. The USGS “Did you feel it?” service (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/dyfi) received over 125 felt reports within the first 30 minutes after the earthquake.
In a press release, HVO Scientist-in-Charge, Ken Hon said, “This earthquake is part of the ongoing seismic swarm under the Pāhala area, which started in August 2019. Webcams and other data streams show no impact on the ongoing eruption at Kīlauea. Please be aware that aftershocks are possible and may be felt. HVO continues to monitor Hawaiian volcanoes for any changes. The Alert Levels/Color Codes remain at WATCH/ORANGE for Kīlauea and ADVISORY/YELLOW for Mauna Loa at this time.”
A map showing the earthquakes’s location is posted on the HVO website at https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo.
More details are available on the National Earthquake Information Center website at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/hv72856332.