No tsunami after 4.4 Kīlauea earthquake on Hawaiʻi Island

There is no tsunami following a 4.4 (4.2 preliminary) magnitude earthquake reported at 5:17 p.m. in the Summit Region of the Kīlauea Volcano on Hawaiʻi Island.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an information statement saying that no tsunami is expected, but some areas may have experienced shaking.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that the size and location of the earthquake indicate it is related to “flexing of the oceanic crust buried deep below the island, and is not directly related to volcanic activity, nor is it an aftershock of the magnitude-5.1 earthquake on Monday, Dec. 4.”

The HVO reports that there have been no detectable changes in activity at nearby Kīlauea volcano as a result of this earthquake.

This comes two days after a 5.1 magnitude earthquake reported at 5:54 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4, in the Hilina Region of the Kīlauea Volcano. 

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that Monday’s earthquake and magnitude-3 aftershock were related to “shallow movement on the pali system of Kīlauea volcano’s south flank and is not directly related to volcanic activity.”

Further information on today’s earthquake will be posted as it becomes available.