Magnitude 4.6 quake shakes southwest flank of Kilauea volcano
COURTESY USGS
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck near Pahala on the Big Island tonight.
An earthquake with a preliminary 4.6 magnitude shook Pahala on the southwest rift zone of Kilauea volcano Tuesday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake struck at about 8:26 p.m. and was centered about 5.7 miles east-northeast of Pahala and 37 miles southwest of Hilo at a depth of about 20 miles.
The tremor was not strong enough to generate a tsunami.
The USGS’ “Did you feel it?” self-reported online survey recorded 210 “felt” reports within the first hour of the earthquake.
“This earthquake is part of the ongoing seismic swarm under the Pahala area, which started in August 2019,” Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge Ken Hon said in a news release.
HVO officials said the earthquake had “no observable impact” on Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes, and that aftershocks are possible.
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A 3.6-magnitude quake followed a few minutes after the larger temblor tonight, according to the USGS.
