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Second mild earthquake shakes east side of Hawaii island

COURTESY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
                                Two earthquakes above magnitude 4 struck south of Hilo Thursday night and this afternoon.
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COURTESY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Two earthquakes above magnitude 4 struck south of Hilo Thursday night and this afternoon.

UPDATE: 3:50 p.m.

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake shook the east side of the Big Island this afternoon.

The quake, which was too weak to cause a tsunami, was the second temblor over magnitude 4 in less than 24 hours in the area. It was initially reported as magnitude 4.1 but later upgraded to 4.3 by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS said today’s quake hit at 2:18 p.m. and was centered about 27 miles south of Hilo, the same area as Thursday night quake, which also has been upgraded to a magnitude 4.7. Both quakes were centered about 4 miles deep.

USGS officials had said aftershocks from the Thursday quake were possible.

The USGS’ “Did you feel it?” self-reported online survey received dozens of immediate responses from throughout the Big Island.

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An earthquake with a preliminary 4.6 magnitude struck south of Hilo late Thursday night but was not strong enough to generate a tsunami, officials said.

The quake shook the eastern side of the Big Island at 11:20 p.m. and was centered 28 miles south of Hilo and 10 miles south of Fern Forest at a depth of about 4 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center on Oahu said that no tsunami was generated by the quake on the south flank of the Kilauea volcano, however “some areas may have experienced shaking.

The USGS’ “Did you feel it?” self-reported online survey received more than 700 immediate responses, mostly from the Big Island, but also from Maui and Lanai.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory seismologist Ashton Flinders said in a news release that the earthquake had no apparent effect on Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes.

“Aftershocks are possible and may be felt,” he said.

HVO officials said Thursday night’s earthquake is likely an aftershock of the 2018 magnitude-6.9 quake as Kilauea volcano continues to settle.

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