Saturday’s 5.2 Kīlauea Earthquake Had “No Apparent Effect” on Ongoing Eruptions

Hawaiʻi Island earthquake, June 27, 2015, 10:10 p.m. HST. Intensity Map Image courtesy USGS.

By Maui Now Staff

Officials with the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory say Saturday’s 5.2 earthquake reported in the Hilina Region of Kīlauea on Hawaiʻi Island had no apparent effect on the volcano’s ongoing eruptions.

“HVO monitoring networks have not detected any significant changes in activity at the summits or rift zones of Kīlauea or other Hawaiian volcanoes,” said HVO Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal in a press release.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded the quake beneath the Island of Hawaiʻi on Saturday, June 27, 2015, at 10:10 p.m., HST.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center determined that no damaging tsunami was generated by the earthquake, and quickly issued a notification to that effect.

According to Wes Thelen, HVO’s Seismic Network Manager, the earthquake was centered about 7.1 miles south-southeast of the summit of Kīlauea and at a depth of approximately 5.3 miles.

More than 740 reports were received by the USGS “Did you feel it?” website within an hour of the incident, with individuals saying they felt the quake on parts of Maui, Lāna‘i and O‘ahu. Reports indicate that residents experienced light shaking and that damage to buildings or structures was not expected though items not properly secured could have fallen over.

The HVO reports that five aftershocks were recorded within the first hour of the earthquake, including a magnitude-3.1 earthquake at 10:54 p.m.

The HVO reports that eight earthquakes with magnitudes of 4 or greater, including three with magnitudes of 5 or greater, have occurred in this same area, the central part of Kīlauea’s south flank, and at nearly the same depth, in the last 20 years.

Scientists say these quakes are thought to be caused by southward movement of the volcano’s south flank in response to magmatic pressure within Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone.