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Seismologists call these events “flexural earthquakes” to reflect their cause (bending of the Pacific Plate).

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What causes these earthquakes, and how long will they last?

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The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded a magnitude-6.9 earthquake on Friday, May 4, 2018, at approximately 12:32 p.m. HST. It is the strongest quake in Hawaii since 1975—and the largest in a series of strong earthquakes that began at 11:32 a.m. today. According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) no tsunami […]

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Early morning on March 28, 2016, a magnitude-3.6 (M3.6) earthquake struck beneath the isthmus connecting West and East Maui. Four days later a M4.2 earthquake, centered roughly 88 km (55 mi) east of Hana, Maui, was felt across the State. Three days later,

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October 15, 2015, is the 3rd annual Great Hawaii ShakeOut. That day also marks the 9th anniversary of Hawaii’s two most recent damaging earthquakes.

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We ttake time each November to recognize the anniversaries of two significant Hawaiian earthquakes that are both important to remember, even as we pore over new data.

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When magma moves underground, it stresses the rocks around it, creating earthquakes. Volcanic earthquakes usually do not exceed magnitude 5 in size.

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As we enter the 2012 holiday season, Kilauea Volcano’s continuing eruptions in Halema`uma`u at the summit and at Pu`u `O`o on the middle east rift zone keep providing the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory with much to study and understand.

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Tuesday morning, July 31, beginning at 10:25 a.m., a number of text messages and emails were pushed out in rapid succession from the Earthquake Notification Service. The quakes flagged in those messages all occurred beneath Kilauea volcano’s south flank.

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Residents of Hawai`i are no strangers to earthquakes. Those of us on the Big Island, especially, are used to feeling several earthquakes every year. But did you feel the magnitude-5.5 earthquake on Memorial Day?

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It seems that Kilauea has also been making plans about what to do as summer unofficially begins. This “planning” process has the staff of HVO watching with keen interest, especially during the last several months.

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Seismologists are often asked the question, “Can large earthquakes trigger volcanic eruptions?” The short answer is yes, earthquakes and volcanic processes are closely linked.

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