The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) reported a flurry of small earthquakes on Kilauea Volcano’s upper East Rift Zone just before 6 a.m. Sunday.
The earthquakes were concentrated about three to four miles southeast of Kilauea’s summit in an area between Hiiaka and Kookoolau Craters on the Chain of Craters Road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The sequence consisted of 31 earthquakes over a period of about 42 minutes. The eight largest events had magnitudes ranging from 1.7 to 3.9 and depths of about one to two miles beneath the surface.
At least six of the earthquakes were felt on the Island of Hawaii, primarily in the Kau and Puna Districts.
The USGS “Did you feel it?” website received more than 30 felt reports within an hour of the largest earthquake, which occurred at 6:13 a.m. Weak to light shaking, with maximum Intensity of IV, has been reported. At that intensity, damage to buildings or structures is not expected.
Experts said the size and location of Sunday morning’s earthquake sequence suggest a source that may be related to the ongoing pressurized magma storage system beneath the Kilauea summit area.
According to Tina Neal, HVO Scientist-in-Charge, the earthquakes caused no significant changes in Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing eruptions. No changes in deformation or ground surface cracks were observed in the area.
For more information on recent earthquakes in Hawaii and Kilauea eruption updates, visit the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov.
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