USGS HVO Press Release — Magnitude-4.3 Earthquake Occurs on Kīlauea's South Flank
For the first time since the new vent opened in Halema‘uma‘u Crater on March 19, HVO A magnitude-4.3 earthquake was located beneath the south flank of Kīlauea Volcano by the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Friday, September 19, at 5:59 p.m. HST.
The earthquake was located about 42 km (26 miles) south of Hilo and 15 km (9 miles) south of Fern Forest at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) and was felt island-wide.
Earthquakes are common in this area. The south flank of Kīlauea averages 1–2 earthquakes per year with magnitude greater than 4.0. The most recent earthquakes of note in this region occurred on August 13, August 15, and October 26, 2007, with magnitudes of 5.4, 4.4, and 4.0 respectively.
Despite being 7 km (4 miles) south of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, HVO's monitoring networks do not suggest any changes have occurred at this time in the current eruption of Kīlauea volcano along the east rift zone or within Halema‘uma‘u crater.
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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