Earthquake Hits Beneath South Flank of Hawaii Volcano

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck Sunday beneath the south flank of Kilauea Volcano on the island of Hawaii, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory confirmed.

The earthquake was centered about 9 miles south of the volcano, at a depth of about 5 miles, the observatory said. Weak to light shaking was reported on the island, according to the observatory.

Ken Hon, the observatory scientist in charge, in a statement said the quake had no apparent effect on the Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes. Both volcanoes are within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

“We see no detectable changes in activity at the summits or along the rift zones of Kilauea or Mauna Loa as a result of this earthquake,” Hon said, adding that aftershocks were possible.

Forty earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.0 or greater have been recorded on Kilauea’s south flank over the past 20 years, according to the observatory.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters