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By CALEB JONES, Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) – A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck Hawaii‘s Big Island.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck less than 3 miles off the northwest coast of the Big Island on Monday. The earthquake was about 27 kilometers below sea level.
The epicenter was about 120 kilometers north of Hilo and Kailua-Kona.
The USGS said people reported feeling slight tremors as far as Kauai, with severe tremors near the center on the Big Island. Shaking has been reported on all major Hawaiian islands.
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The earthquake did not change the alert levels for the Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes on the Big Island.
The Big Island has small earthquakes under its active volcanoes on a regular basis, but this quake was not associated with any underground magma movement.
“This earthquake is related to the stress caused by the weight of the island on the sea crust and mantle below,” said Ken Hon, scientist in charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. “These earthquakes are relatively frequent and are not directly related to volcanic processes.”
The largest previous earthquake on the north coast of the Big Island was a 4.2 earthquake in 2010. The last time the Big Island had a magnitude 5 or greater earthquake was on the east side of the island in April 2019, USGS geophysicist Jefferson Chang said.
The recent earthquake “is pretty deep so it doesn’t really affect the flat material further south,” Chang said, referring to the southern area, which is home to Hawaii’s most active volcanoes.
The Hamakua Coast – where the quake hit – is a remote, sparsely populated area of ​​the Big Island. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake did not cause a tsunami. Aftershocks are likely.
“There’s always the possibility of aftershocks, especially with something this big,” said Chang.
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