Magnitude 4.5 earthquake shakes Kilauea volcano

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
·1 min read

Jun. 18—A mild earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.5 shook the southwest rift zone of Kilauea volcano late this afternoon.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at about 4 :32 p.m. and was centered about 5 miles northeast of Pahala and 40 miles southwest of Hilo, at a depth of about 21 miles.

The USGS "Did you feel it ?" self-reported online survey received hundreds of immediate responses from throughout Hawaii island and across the state.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge Ken Hon said in a news release that the earthquake had no observable impact on Kilauea volcano.

"This earthquake is part of the ongoing seismic swarm under the Pahala area, which started in August 2019, " he said. "This earthquake has been the largest to date in the current swarm and was widely felt across the Island of Hawaii, and as far away as Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. Please be aware that aftershocks are possible and may be felt."

He said the observatory continues to monitor Hawaiian volcanoes for changes.

The quake was too small to generate a destructive tsunami.