USGS HVO Press Release — Magnitude-5.0 Earthquake on the South Flank of Kīlauea Volcano
A magnitude-5.0 earthquake beneath the south flank of Kīlauea Volcano was recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) on Tuesday, April 14, at 12:44 p.m. HST. The earthquake was located about 12 km (8 miles) southeast of Kīlauea's summit and 44 km (27 miles) south-southwest of Hilo at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
The earthquake was felt over the entire Island of Hawai‘i. The U.S. Geological Survey received over 350 felt reports in the first 30 minutes after the earthquake (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/dyfi/).
Eleven earthquakes with magnitudes of 4 or greater, including three with magnitudes of 5 or more, have occurred in this area, the central part of Kīlauea's south flank, at nearly the same depth (8–10 km or 5–6 miles) in the last 25 years. These quakes are thought to be caused by southward movement of the south flank in response to magmatic pressure within the east rift zone.
The earthquake caused no apparent change to the current eruption of Kīlauea. Monitoring networks supported by HVO have not detected significant changes in volcano activity.
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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