Volcano Watch — What’s shaking? Earthquake alerts explained

Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. Today’s article is by Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi seismic analyst Maddie Hawk.

Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Hawaiʻi. If you subscribe to emergency, earthquake, or volcano notifications, the shaking you feel might be followed by a message summarizing the earthquake. Have you ever wondered why the magnitude of an earthquake you felt might differ slightly between a message you received, a post you saw on social media, or what the local news reported?

When an earthquake strikes in Hawaiʻi, there are three agencies that analyze the earthquake for its location and magnitude. The USGS National Earthquake Information Center serves as the repository of earthquake catalogs and a backup to the regional networks. The NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center monitors for tsunamis and releases the earthquake’s automatically calculated information (location, magnitude) to the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency within thirty seconds. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is the agency that releases the authoritative information after reviewing the event. 

Typically, the earliest earthquake information will be from automated solutions generated by computer algorithms from PTWC and HVO. Human analysts from HVO and NEIC will then review the magnitude-2.5 or larger earthquakes to get a more accurate magnitude and location.

Large earthquakes can potentially be damaging and/or trigger tsunamis and it is important to report that information to affected residents/visitors as soon as possible. Depending on the magnitude and intensity of the event, Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency has the option to send out a message to emergency alert subscribers, or all local cell phones, regardless of whether they are subscribed to local emergency alerts. 

Another way to receive earthquake information is via the USGS Earthquake Notification Service. The ENS is a free, customizable notification system allowing users to sign up to receive earthquake email or SMS notifications for a region the user defines. New ENS accounts automatically receive alerts for all earthquakes of at least magnitude-6.0 by default, but users can adjust their preferences to receive alerts for lower magnitude events in their defined geographic area. 

As helpful as automated seismic systems are, however, they aren’t perfect. At HVO, seismic analysts refine the automated system’s calculations to produce a more accurate location, depth, and magnitude of the earthquake. For example, a magnitude-3.1 earthquake the morning of Feb. 13, 2025, was a magnitude-2.8 before analyst review. The difference in an earthquake’s location and depth before and after analyst review can be noticeably different based on the event and network coverage nearby. 

The HVO seismic analyst review process can take anywhere from ten to thirty minutes, depending on the time of day, availability of analysts, and complexity of the earthquake. This is why the initial, automated alerts are so valuable, providing preliminary information immediately. 

Calculating the location and magnitude of an earthquake requires analyzing aspects of data from several seismic stations across the island, such as the maximum amplitudes and arrival times of different seismic waves. Distinct waves travel at different speeds within the ground and therefore arrive at different times at the seismic stations.  That time difference between the distinct seismic wave arrivals will be shorter for stations closer to the earthquake epicenter and longer for stations further from the epicenter. Think of two people racing: one on a bicycle and one on foot. The further the finish line from the start point, the greater the distance increases between the two racers.  

If you feel an earthquake, don’t forget to let us know at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/dyfi/. Earthquakes in Hawaiʻi that are widely felt, generally around magnitude-4.0 or greater, also prompt HVO to publish an Information Statement via the USGS Volano Notification Service (another subscription service). HVO Information Statements are typically published after an HVO analyst has reviewed the earthquake magnitude; they include the reviewed magnitude, an interpretation of what caused the earthquake, the number of felt reports, and shaking intensity.

The next time you’re looking up a specific earthquake on the USGS Latest Earthquakes website, look at the “Origin” box, which contains the event’s “Review Status.” Here, the event will either be labelled as “AUTOMATIC” or “REVIEWED;” you can toggle through the event information, including the seismic stations used in the magnitude calculations and the number of felt reports. 

Volcano Activity Updates

Kīlauea has been erupting intermittently within the summit caldera since December. 23, 2024. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is WATCH.

The summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began in Halemaʻumaʻu crater on Dec. 23 continued over the past week, with one eruptive episode. Episode 9 was active from the morning of Feb. 11 until the morning of Feb. 12. Kīlauea summit has been inflating since episode 9 ended. Resumption of eruptive activity is possible between Feb. 15-18 if summit inflation continues at current rate. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are elevated in the summit region during active eruption episodes. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. 

Maunaloa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.

No earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Maunaloa.

Visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Maunaloa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.