No Tsunami Threat After 4.8 Hawai‘i Quake

UPDATE:

The US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded a magnitude-4.9 (revised upward) earthquake on Monday, Nov. 11, just before 6:36 a.m. HST.  *Note: This magnitude may be refined as HVO seismologists continue to analyze the earthquake.

The earthquake was located about 11 miles southwest of Laupāhoehoe on the Island of Hawai‘i at a depth of 20 miles, according to the HVO.

Light to moderate shaking has been reported around the Island of Hawai‘i, with weak shaking reported from as far away as Oʻahu. The USGS “Did you feel it?” service received over 1000 felt reports within an hour of the earthquake.

On Maui, there were reports of people feeling the quake in the East Maui community of Hāna as well as in Kula, Haʻikū, Makawao, Kīhei, Pāʻia, Kahului, Wailuku, Lahaina and Kualapuʻu on Molokaʻi.

A magnitude-2.6 foreshock occurred in the same area about three minutes prior to the mainshock. Aftershocks have already been recorded; more are likely, and some could be felt.

HVO experts say “the depth, location, and recorded seismic waves of the M4.9 earthquake suggest a source due to bending of the oceanic plate from the weight of the volcanoes in the Hawaiian Island chain, a common source for earthquakes in this area.”

According to HVO Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal, “HVO monitoring networks have not detected any significant changes in activity on Kīlauea or Mauna Loa Volcanoes due to the earthquake.”

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has stated that there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake. Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense reports that Department of Public Works personnel will be checking roadways in the area for rockfalls and other potential damage.

PREVIOUS POST:

There is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi after a preliminary magnitude 4.8 earthquake reported at 6:36 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, 2019 in the Hamakua Coast region of Hawaiʻi Island.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says there is no tsunami expected; however, some areas may have experienced shaking.

According to the USGS, the quake was centered:

12.9 mi NE of Laupāhoehoe, Hawaiʻi;
18.8 mi ESE of Hilo, Hawaii;
30.1 mi SE of Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaiʻi;
44 mi WSW of Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi; and
191.2 mi WNW of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.

According to the USGS Did You Feel It website, the quake was felt across parts of Hawaiʻi Island as well as on Maui and as far away as Kāneʻohe on Oʻahu. On Maui, there were reports of people feeling the quake in the East Maui community of Hāna as well as in Kula, Haʻikū, Makawao, Kīhei, Pāʻia, Kahului, Wailuku, Lahaina and Kualapuʻu on Molokaʻi.

PC: Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.