Earthquake Swarm at Kilauea Apparently Waning

Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory say an earthquake swarm that began early Wednesday has apparently settled down.

Only eight tremors were recorded at the Ka‘oiki Pali fault today, and none were greater than magnitude-2, said HVO geologist Janet Babb.

“The swarm seems to be waning,” she said.

The swarm that began at 1:17 a.m. Wednesday produced more than 60 quakes in the 14 hours that followed. The largest measured magnitude-3.2.

Ka‘oiki Pali, which is located near the Namakanipaio campground about three miles north-northwest of Kilauea’s summit, marks the boundary between Mauna Loa and Kilauea. It has been the center of four previous earthquake swarms over the past 22 years.

Scientists say the swarms can sometimes indicate a change in the eruption process, such as an increase of magma into the volcano’s plumbing. However, Babb said no change to Kilauea’s ongoing eruption has been detected as a result of the latest tremors.

Elsewhere on Kilauea, surface flows from the Pu‘u ‘O‘o vent on the volcano’s east rift continue to advance slowly toward the ocean. The flows on Thursday were moving through the middle part of the Royal Gardens subdivision at an elevation of 900 feet.

There are currently no active flows on the coastal plain and no lava is currently entering the ocean.