Magnitude 4.1 earthquake hits Loihi; no tsunami threat to Hawaii
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
A light quake struck off the southern coast of the Big Isle early this morning but does not pose a tsunami threat.
A light earthquake struck off the southern coast of the Big Island early this morning but did not pose a tsunami threat.
The magnitude 4.2 quake struck at 4:33 a.m. at the Loihi seamount at a depth of 10.5 miles, 35 miles southeast of Pahala on Hawaii island, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
“No tsunami is expected. However, some areas may have experienced shaking,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin this morning.
The USGS said its “Did you feel it?” webpage received 30 reports within two hours of the quake.
Brian Shiro, HVO’s seismic network manager, said the earthquake was located 6 miles south of the summit of Loihi seamount, but it does not appear to be associated with the submarine volcano.
“The earthquake was most likely due to bending of the Earth’s crust under the weight of Hawaii island,” he said in a news release.
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Loihi is an active submarine volcano on the seafloor south of Kilauea volcano about 19 miles off the southeast coast of the Big Island, according to the USGS. The seamount is 3,180 feet below sea level and last erupted in 1996, geologists said.
They said today’s earthquake had no apparent effect on Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes.
