There were more than 40 earthquakes in the area under Mauna Loa on Thursday, but the volcano is not erupting.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory of the U.S. Geological Survey reported that a small swing of shallow seismicity began at 1 a.m. HST on Thursday. It is located in the southeastern part of Mauna Loa and northwest of the peak of Kalaua, coming down the upper Kakiki seismic zone. Other Mauna Loa monitoring data streams remain stable and do not show signs of increased activity.
Observation
On March 18, 2021, more than 40 earthquakes were recorded below the Kakiki Seismic Zone, 13 miles WNW, above the (HVO) volcano. These earthquakes are occurring in a cluster of one mile wide and 0.5-4 miles below the surface.
The largest event in this order, by late Thursday evening, was an earthquake of magnitude a … Most of the incidents have been less than dimension-2 and are not widely reported by residents. Incidents reported with a maximum intensity of II on the revised Merkelli Intensity Scale were described as weak tremors.
The clustering of shallow earthquakes in this region does not mean that an eruption is imminent. HVOs have recorded sporadic dust in the area for decades, in many explosive cycles on both Klua and Mauna Loa. These earthquakes show no signs of magical involvement and are part of a normal rearrangement due to a change in the tension inside the volcano. Other monitoring data streams for Klua and Mauna Loa, including ground deformation, gas, and imaging, show no signs of increased activity.
HVOs closely monitor geological changes, earthquakes, distortions and gas emissions in the Klaua and Mauna Loa volcanoes. HVO will guarantee additional messages and warning level changes by changing the activity.
For more information on earthquakes in the Kakiki Pali area, see the Volka Watch article titled, “Why are there so many earthquakes around Kemiki Pali?” Published by HVO scientists on March 1, 2012: https://www.usgs.gov/center-news/volcano-watch-why-do-swarms-earthquakes-occur-around-ka-iki-pali.
For information on earthquakes and eruptions in Hawaii, please contact USG.
A summary of the Mauna Loa activity is available by phone: (808) 967-8866. A summary of other Hawaiian volcanoes is also available by phone: (808) 967-8877.
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