More than 130 small earthquakes detected near Kilauea summit since Thursday
A small swarm of shallow earthquakes has been detected northwest of its summit and west of Namakanipaio Campground, but this does not mean Kilauea Volcano is erupting anytime soon.
More than 130 earthquakes have been detected from Thursday through today by the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano observatory near the Kaoiki fault system.
This clustering of earthquakes “does not mean an eruption is imminent,” the USGS said in a news release today.
Most of the quakes are less than magnitude 2, and not widely felt by residents. The largest was a magnitude 3 earthquake. Residents mostly reported weak shaking.
They are occurring in a cluster about a mile wide and one to three miles beneath the surface, the USGS reported.
Shallow earthquakes of this kind have been recorded for decades over several eruptive cycles both at Kilauea and Mauna Loa.
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Other data that is monitored, including ground deformation, gas and imagery, do not show any indication of increased activity.
HVO will continue to closely monitor such geologic changes, and will issue additional messages and alert level changes as warranted, it said.
