2 Early Morning Earthquakes Rattle Pāhala

Two earthquakes rumbled Pāhala early this morning. No tsunami is expected.

The first, a magnitude-4.3 earthquake, was recorded at 1:58 a.m. The tremor was centered five miles northeast of Pāhala at a depth of 21 miles. Eight seconds later, a magnitude-4.6 earthquake was recorded slightly southeast of the first quake.

According to HVO geophysicist, Jefferson Chang, these earthquakes had no apparent effect on Kīlauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes.

“This earthquake appears to be part of the seismic swarm under the Pāhala area, which has been going on since 2019,” Chang said. “Earthquakes in this region have been observed at least as far back as the 1960s. We see no detectable changes in activity at the summits or along the rift zones of Mauna Loa or Kīlauea as a result of these earthquakes. Please be advised that aftershocks are occurring and some of these may be large enough to be felt.”

HVO continues to monitor Hawaiian volcanoes for any changes.

A map showing the location is posted on the HVO website at http://usgs.gov/hvo. More details are available at the National Earthquake Information Center website at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/hv72984557 (M4.3) and https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/hv72984552 (M4.6).

Strong shaking, with maximum Intensity of VI 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 received over 400 felt reports within the first hour of the earthquakes.

For information on recent earthquakes in Hawaii and eruption updates, visit the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website at  http://usgs.gov/hvo/.