The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded a magnitude-4.6 earthquake located beneath Hawaii Island at 6:43 a.m. Sunday.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has determined that no damaging tsunami was generated.
This earthquake was centered about 8.7 miles east of Waikoloa and 12.3 miles southwest of Waimea at a depth of 19.8 miles.
The earthquake was widely felt on the island. The USGS “Did you feel it?” website received more than 480 felt reports within an hour of the earthquake. Most of the felt reports were from the Hawaii Island and Maui, with a few reports from Oahu, over 155 miles from the epicenter.
Moderate shaking (Intensity V) has been reported. At these shaking intensities, damage to buildings or structures is not expected.
As of 8 a.m., no aftershocks of the magnitude-4.6 earthquake have been recorded.
Over the past 25 years, there have been four earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 4.0 and at depths greater than 12 miles beneath the northern half of Hawaii Island, including Sunday’s event. Deep earthquakes in this region are most likely caused by structural adjustments within the Earth’s crust due to the weight of the overlying volcanoes.
Adjustments beneath the northern half of the island during past similar events, such as in March 2010, have produced a flurry of earthquakes, with many small aftershocks occurring for days after the main quake. Given this history, it is possible that additional small earthquakes may be recorded in the coming days.
According to HVO Scientist-in-Charge Christina Neal, the earthquake had no apparent effect on Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing eruptions. “HVO monitoring networks have not detected any significant changes in activity at the summit or along the rift zones of Kilauea resulting from the earthquake.”
For information on recent earthquakes in Hawaii and eruption updates, visit the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website.
