According to USGS, a moderate 4.6 earthquake struck east of the island of Maui and northeast of the Big Island of Hawaii this afternoon. While dozens of people reported they felt shaking from this earthquake on Maui and Hawaii islands, there have been no reports of any injuries or damage. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of tsunami from this earthquake.
Today’s earthquake struck at 11:29 am local time / 5:29 pm Eastern Time. The epicenter, located 61 miles northeast of Laupāhoehoe on the Big Island, struck at a depth of 24.3 km. According to USGS, today’s earthquake was the strongest to strike the state in the last 30 days.
With frequently active volcanoes and settling volcanic mountains, seismicity generally runs high in Hawaii. In the last 30 days, the Big Island of Hawaii has had 314 measurable earthquakes, 75 which hit in just the last week.
Shortly after the quake hit, the Honolulu, Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a statement: “No tsunami is expected. However…some areas may have experienced shaking. This will be the only statement issued for this event unless additional data are received.”
Hawaii County’s Civil Defense Agency, which is responsible for all of the Big Island, cautioned residents there to be aware of the possibility of after-shocks. They also shared a county-wide bulletin, encouraging people to report any damage. “If the earthquake was strongly felt in your area, please check for any damages, including but not limited to structural and gas, water, and electrical utilities. If you have any damages you would like to report, please call Civil Defense at (808) 935-0031,” they wrote in their bulletin.
On Maui, a similar message of reassurance was shared with the community there. Maui County Emergency Management Agency, known as MEMA for short, issued a bulletin that said, “No tsunami is expected. Some areas may have experienced shaking.”
