Magnitude-4.0 Earthquake Rumbles Beneath Lō‘ihi Seamount

A magnitude-4.0 earthquake located beneath the Lō‘ihi seamount occurred Wednesday, June 2.

The US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded the rumble at 6:44 p.m. The earthquake was centered about 26 miles southeast of Nāʻālehu, under Lō‘ihi seamount at a depth of seven miles. A map showing its location is posted on the HVO website here.

According to HVO Scientist-in-Charge Ken Hon, the earthquake had no apparent effect on Kīlauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes.

“We see no detectable changes in activity at the summits or along the rift zones of Lōʻihi, Kīlauea, or Mauna Loa as a result of this earthquake,” Hon said. “Aftershocks are possible and could be felt.”

HVO continues to monitor Kīlauea, Mauna Loa, and other Hawaiian volcanoes for any changes.

More details are available at the National Earthquake Information Center website.

Moderate shaking, with maximum Intensity of V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, was reported across the Island of Hawai‘i. At that intensity, significant damage to buildings or structures is not expected. The USGS “Did you feel it?” service received three felt reports within the first hour of the earthquake.

Lōʻihi seamount is an active volcano on the seafloor south of Kīlauea Volcano, about 19 miles from the shoreline of the Island of Hawaiʻi. The top of the seamount is about 3,199 feet below sea level. The volcano consists of a broad summit area marked by three pit craters and two prominent rift zones extending from the summit about 13.6 miles south-southeast and about 9.3 miles north-northeast.

The volcano likely has a shallow magma chamber between 0.6 to 1.6 miles deep below the summit. In mid-May 2020, HVO detected more than 100 earthquakes beneath Lōʻihi. The earthquake activity may have represented a brief magmatic intrusion or movement of magmatic fluids within the volcanic edifice

For information on recent earthquakes in Hawaii and eruption updates, visit the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website.