KAILUA-KONA — The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded an offshore magnitude-4.2 earthquake south of the Island of Hawaii at 4:33 a.m. this morning.
The earthquake was centered about 35 miles southeast of Pahala at a depth of 29 miles.
Weak shaking, with maximum Intensity of III, has been reported from around the Island of Hawaii. At that intensity, damage to buildings or structures is not expected. The USGS “Did you feel it?” service (https://earthquake.usgs.gov/dyfi/) received 30 felt reports within two hours of the earthquake.
According to Brian Shiro, HVO’s Seismic Network Manager, the earthquake was located 6 miles south of the summit of Loihi seamount, but does not appear to be associated with the submarine volcano.
“The earthquake was most likely due to bending of the Earth’s crust under the weight of Hawaii Island,” he said.
Loihi is an active submarine volcano located on the seafloor south of Kilauea Volcano about 19 miles off the southeast coast of the Island of Hawaii. The seamount is 3,180 feet below sea level. It last erupted in 1996.
Today’s earthquake had no apparent effect on Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that no tsunami was generated by it.