Categorized | Earthquake, Featured, News

Moderate 5.7M earthquake strikes Hawaii Island Friday morning (May 4), no tsunami threat

Seismic waveform of 5.7 magnitude earthquake which struck Hawaii Island Friday morning, May 4, 2018.

Seismic waveform of 5.7 magnitude earthquake which struck Hawaii Island Friday morning, May 4, 2018.


Hawaii County Civil Defense 11:30 a.m. audio message

This is a Civil Defense message for Friday, May 4, 2018 at 11:40 a.m.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reports an earthquake occurred at approximately 11:33 AM today.

This earthquake was not large enough to cause a tsunami for the island of Hawai’i. I say again, there is no tsunami threat to the island of Hawai’i.

Preliminary data indicates that the earthquake measuring a magnitude of 5.6 was centered in the vicinity of the south flank of Kilauea Volcano.

As in all earthquakes, be aware of the possibility of aftershocks. If the earthquake was strongly felt in your area, precautionary checks should be made for any damages; especially to utility connections of gas, water, and electricity.

If any additional information becomes available, you will be notified. Thank you. This is your Hawai’i County Civil Defense Agency.

TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER   1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1134 AM HST FRI MAY 04 2018

TO - EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT - LOCAL TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

   ORIGIN TIME - 1133 AM HST 04 MAY 2018
   COORDINATES - 19.3 NORTH  155.0 WEST
   LOCATION    - ON THE SOUTH FLANK OF KILAUEA VOLCANO
   MAGNITUDE   - 5.6

EVALUATION

 NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED. REPEAT. NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED.
 HOWEVER...SOME AREAS MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED STRONG SHAKING.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.

== USGS PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==

***This event supersedes event PT18124050.

Region: ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
Geographic coordinates: 19.340N, 155.029W
Magnitude: 5.3
Depth: 6 km
Universal Time (UTC): 4 May 2018 21:32:44
Time near the Epicenter: 4 May 2018 11:32:44
Local standard time in your area: 4 May 2018 11:32:44

Location with respect to nearby cities:
18 km (11 miles) SE (144 degrees) of Fern Forest, HI
19 km (12 miles) SSE (155 degrees) of Eden Roc, HI
19 km (12 miles) SW (217 degrees) of Leilani Estates, HI
41 km (26 miles) S (172 degrees) of Hilo, HI
365 km (227 miles) SE (126 degrees) of Honolulu, HI

USGS: How large does an earthquake have to be to cause a tsunami?

Magnitudes below 6.5
Earthquakes of this magnitude are very unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Magnitudes between 6.5 and 7.5
Earthquakes of this size do not usually produce destructive tsunamis. However, small sea level changes may be observed in the vicinity of the epicenter. Tsunamis capable of producing damage or casualties are rare in this magnitude range but have occurred due to secondary effects such as landslides or submarine slumps.

Magnitudes between 7.6 and 7.8
Earthquakes of this size may produce destructive tsunamis especially near the epicenter; at greater distances small sea level changes may be observed. Tsunamis capable of producing damage at great distances are rare in the magnitude range.

Magnitude 7.9 and greater
Destructive local tsunamis are possible near the epicenter, and significant sea level changes and damage may occur in a broader region.

Note that with a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, the probability of an aftershock with a magnitude exceeding 7.5 is not negligible. To date, the largest aftershock recorded has been magnitude 7.1 that did not produce a damaging tsunami.

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