Hawaiʻi M4.8 Valentine’s Day earthquake was part of ongoing seismic swarm

A 4.8 earthquake Tuesday night on Hawaiʻi Island had no apparent impact on either Mauna Loa or Kīlauea volcanoes, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The quake was reported at 9:27 p.m. on Feb. 14, and occurred 7 miles southeast of Pāhala, Island of Hawaiʻi, at a depth of 20 miles below sea level.

HVO scientists say this earthquake was part of a seismic swarm under the Pāhala area, which has been going on since 2019. Earthquakes in this region have been observed at least as far back as the 1960s.

There were more than 75 felt reports documented on the USGS Did You Feel It? website in the first half hour of the incident.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center quickly issued a statement following the incident, indicating that there was no local tsunami generated from the event.