4.7M quake on Kilauea’s south flank shakes residents; no tsunami
![U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
An earthquake shook the south flank of Kilauea Volcano early this morning.](https://staradvertiser.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/web1_20240822_brk_qua01.jpg)
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
An earthquake shook the south flank of Kilauea Volcano early this morning.
A 4.7-magnitude earthquake occurred on the south flank of Kilauea Volcano early this morning but was not large enough to cause a tsunami for Hawaii island.
The temblor occurred at 12:52 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, nine miles south of Fern Forest at a depth of four miles below sea level.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a statement at 12:55 a.m. that no tsunami was expected, but that some areas may have experienced shaking.
The HVO said the earthquake had no apparent impact on either Mauna Loa or Kilauea volcanoes.
“Most earthquakes in this region are caused by abrupt motion of Kilauea volcano’s south flank, which moves to the southeast over the oceanic crust,” said HVO in a statement. “The location, depth, and waveforms recorded as part of today’s earthquake are consistent with slip along faults related to the south flank detachment fault.”
The HVO will continue to monitor Hawaiian volcanoes for any changes, and said aftershocks are possible in coming days to weeks.
More than 300 residents from all over Hawaii island reported having felt the earthquake within the first hour, the HVO said. A few “felt-it” reports even came in from Kauai, Oahu and Molokai.
The current volcano alert level for Kilauea is set to advisory, and the current aviation code is set to yellow.
Hawaii County Civil Defense urged residents to check for any damages if the earthquake was strongly felt in their area, including but not limited to structural, gas, water, and electrical utilities.
Damages can be reported online at www.hawaiicounty.gov/civil-defense.