No Threat After 4.3 Earthquake at Loihi, Hawaii Island

Loihi earthquake 11/24/12, 6 p.m. Image courtesy Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

By Wendy Osher

(Posted: 6:09 p.m. 11/24/12; Update: 7:53 p.m. 11/24/12; Update 6:38 a.m. 11/26/12)

There is no tsunami threat following a 4.3 magnitude earthquake at the Loihi Seamount, located south of the Big Island of Hawai’i.  The measurement of the quake was first lowered to 3.9 from an initial preliminary 4.1 reading, and then raised following further evaluation to a 4.3.

The earthquake occurred at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 24, at a depth of 16.9 km or 10.5 miles.

The USGS gave the following coordinates for the location of the quake:

Lo`ihi Seamount – 7 km (5 miles) ENE (57 degrees)
Ka`ena Point – 37 km (23 miles) S (189 degrees)
Pahala – 41 km (26 miles) SE (133 degrees)
Hilo – 87 km (54 miles) S (187 degrees)

Officials with the National Weather Service and Pacific Tsunami Warning Center say no tsunami is expected, however some areas may have experienced shaking.