No tsunami was triggered by a magnitude-4.1 earthquake that struck Friday morning on the western flank of Mauna Loa, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
The earthquake was recorded at 7:44 a.m. and had a registered depth of just under 3 miles. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the temblor was centered about 14 miles east-northeast of Honaunau-Napoopoo.
According to HVO acting Scientist-in-Charge David Phillips, the earthquake had no apparent effect on Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes.
“We do not currently observe any changes in activity at Kilauea or Mauna Loa as a result of this earthquake. Please be aware that aftershocks are possible and may be felt. HVO continues to monitor Kilauea and other Hawaiian volcanoes for any changes,” he said.
By 9 a.m., 135 people had reported feeling light shaking via the USGS’s Did You Feel It website. The farthest reports came from Honokaa, some 38.5 miles northeast of the earthquake’s epicenter.
The earthquake does not represent a significant departure from the seismic activity rate for the past year, so the Volcano Alert Level for Mauna Loa will remain at Advisory, the observatory said. Other Mauna Loa monitoring data streams show no significant change in deformation rates or patterns that would indicate increased volcanic hazard at this time.
The earthquake Friday morning occurred in a location that has exhibited seismicity over the past several years, the observatory said. Earthquakes in this location, approximately 3 miles northwest of Mauna Loa summit, are generally less than 5 miles below the surface and smaller than magnitude-2.0.
For information on recent earthquakes in Hawaii and eruption updates, visit http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/earthquakes.