USGS HVO Press Release — Magnitude-4.0 Earthquake and Aftershocks Occur near Kīlauea Volcano

The earthquake was located about 3 km (2 miles) northwest of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory at Kīlauea's summit at a depth of 6 km (4 miles). By 9:30 A.M., four more had been recorded in the same region. The largest of these aftershocks was a magnitude-3.1 recorded at 8:59 A.M. By the time of this release, there have been reports that both events were felt widely in the Volcano area; the larger event was also felt at Glenwood, Papa‘ikou, and Hōlualoa.

The magnitude-4.0 earthquake was the first of magnitude-4.0 or greater events to occur in the Nāmakani Paio campground area since the two that occurred on the morning of April 26, 2001. These persistent earthquakes, located within the Ka‘ōiki fault zone of Mauna Loa, are possibly an adjustment to the continuing expansion of the Kīlauea summit.

Daily updates about ongoing eruptions, recent images and videos of summit and East Rift Zone volcanic activity, maps, and data about recent earthquakes in Hawaii are posted on the HVO website at https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo. 

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