On Sunday, March 14, 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded a magnitude-4.1 earthquake located beneath Kīlauea Volcano’s south flank.

The earthquake’s epicenter was approximately 7 miles southeast of Volcano, Hawai‘i, near the Hōlei Pali area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park at a depth of 7 km (4 miles).

HVO Scientist-in-Charge, Ken Hon said the earthquake had no apparent effect on Kīlauea or Mauna Loa. In a news release from Volcanoes National Park Hon said, “our instrument network has not detected any changes on either Kīlauea or Mauna Loa volcano related to this earthquake.

Kīlauea’s south flank has been the site of over 40 earthquakes of magnitude-4.0 or greater during the past 20 years. Most are caused by abrupt motion of the volcano’s south flank, which moves to the southeast over the oceanic crust. The location, depth, and waveforms recorded as part of today’s earthquake are consistent with slip along this south flank fault.

For further information on recent earthquakes and eruption updates, visit the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website at https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/earthquakes.