5.3 Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi Earthquake Attributed to Settling of Volcano

Kilauea Earthquake 6.8.17. PC: USGS

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says there is no tsunami expected after a 5.3 (preliminary magnitude 5.1) earthquake that occurred on the south flank of the Kīlauea Volcano on Hawaiʻi Island this morning. The quake was reported at 7:01 a.m. on Thursday, June 8, 2017.

It’s depth was estimated at 8 km (5 mi).  As of 8:36 a.m., Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense had not received any reports of damage.

Location with respect to nearby cities:
18 km (11 mi) SE of Volcano, Hawaiʻi
33 km (20 mi) SSW of Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaiʻi
45 km (27 mi) S of Hilo, Hawaiʻi
99 km (61 mi) ESE of Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi
361 km (223 mi) SE of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that there have been at least 15 aftershocks following this morning’s magnitude-5.3 earthquake.

The HVO reports that Kīlauea’s south flank has been the site of 29 earthquakes of magnitude-4.0 or greater during the past 25 years. Most, scientists say, are “caused by abrupt motion of the volcano’s south flank, which moves to the southeast over the oceanic crust as a result of magma being injected into the East Rift Zone and long term settling of the volcano.” The location and depth for today’s earthquake are consistent with slip along or above this south flank fault, the HVO reports.

According to HVO Scientist-in-Charge Christina Neal the earthquake had no apparent effect on Kīlauea Volcano’s ongoing eruptions. “HVO monitoring networks have not detected any significant changes in activity at the summit or along the rift zones of Kīlauea or at other Hawaiian volcanoes resulting from the earthquake.”

According to the USGS Did You Feel It Website, nearly 50 people reported feeling the quake in the Hilo area and 24 reported feeling it in Keaʻau.  The site received almost 800 felt reports within the first hour of the earthquake.

Results as of 7:26 a.m. are posted below: