KAILUA-KONA — A magnitude-3.4 earthquake jolted the Big Island early Thursday.
Centered just about 2 miles west-southwest of Captain Cook, in the area of Kealakekua Bay, the temblor was recorded at 3:54 a.m, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday, the USGS Did You Feel It website said it had received 57 responses from people reporting up to light shaking being felt.
Janet Babb, spokeswoman with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, told West Hawaii Today that the earthquake did not appear to be related to activity within radial vents found within Kealakekua Bay, which last erupted in the 1800s. She said, based on seismologists observations, it appears the temblor was along the Kealakekua Bay fault lines, located a little north of the vents.
“If it was a concern of a radial vent, we would expect to see seismicity on land,” Babb said, noting that magma movement underground to the area would have triggered other seismic activity. “Based on that, we don’t think it’s anything associated with any volcanic activity (there).”
No advisory was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center following the earthquake.