More than 38 Earthquakes in Seismic Swarm Beneath Summit of Mauna Loa

A small seismic swarm is ongoing beneath the summit of Mauna Loa volcano, but experts say that’s par for the course.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory stated on Friday that since 2 this morning, the observatory has recorded over 38 earthquakes beneath the summit caldera region with most earthquakes in a cluster about 3.1 miles (5 km) wide and 1.2 to 0.6 miles below the surface.

The magnitude ranges went up to 2.7. No damage to buildings or infrastructure is expected based on earthquake intensity.

“These earthquakes may result from changes in the magma storage system and/or may be part of normal re-adjustments of the volcano due to changing stresses within it, the observatory stated.

HVO continues to monitor Hawaiian volcanoes for any changes.

According to HVO Scientist-in-Charge Ken Hon, seismic activity beneath Mauna Loa has been gradually increasing over the past two months and small earthquake swarms are considered a normal part of this increase in activity.

“Currently there are no indications that magma is moving toward the surface and other monitoring systems are displaying normal behavior,” Hon said in a press release. “Levels of seismicity and deformation remain below those recorded during the winter of 2021. HVO will continue to closely monitor this activity and report any significant changes.”