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Magnitude 4.7 earthquake strikes off East Maui overnight

USGS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
                                A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck off East Maui overnight but did not pose a tsunami threat.

USGS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck off East Maui overnight but did not pose a tsunami threat.

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck off East Maui overnight but did not pose a tsunami threat.

The temblor struck at 12:51 a.m., 6.6 miles north-northeast of Wailua, at a depth of 25.5 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

“No tsunami is expected … however, some areas may have experienced shaking,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

Hundred of people reported feeling the quake, mostly in Haiku and Makawao, but respondents to the USGS “Did You Feel It?” page reported in from as far away as Kurtistown and Mililani.

Ken Hon, the scientist-in-charge at the USGS’ Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said the earthquake had no observable impact on Hawaii’s active volcanoes.

“This earthquake was located off the coast of Maui at a depth indicative of oceanic plate bending due to the weight of the islands,” he said in a news release. “This is a common source for earthquakes in this area and is not related to volcanic activity. Webcams and other data streams show no impact on Mauna Loa or Kilauea.”

HVO said aftershocks are possible and may be felt.

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