Earthquake swarm detected around underwater volcano near Hawaii

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Seismologists believe that the recent surge earthquake The activity off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii is likely related to the movement of magma under an undersea volcano, but even if an eruption were imminent, it would not lead to serious consequences for the archipelago.

USGS reports he found dozens of earthquakes around Kamaehuakanaloa, at least two of which were magnitudes greater than 4.0.

The undersea volcano is located about 30 miles southeast of the Big Island – far enough that earthquake swarms are rarely felt.

The agency reports that previous swarms around volcano led to thousands of tremors, but did not lead to eruptions that affected the islands.

“Elevated seismicity continues at Kamaehuakanaloa, but is not expected to affect other volcanoes or any infrastructure on the island of Hawaii. The source of the earthquakes is currently difficult to determine, but it may be related to the movement of magma beneath Kamaehuakanaloa. Previous swarms associated with possible volcanic eruptions consisted of thousands of earthquakes lasting from several days to weeks. The eruptive activity of this volcano would not have any impact on the residents of the island of Hawaii,” the Hawaii Volcano Observatory said.

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The name “Kamahuakanaloa” was changed in 2021 from “Lihi”. Hawaiian Board on Geographic Names in an effort to preserve native Hawaiian language and traditions.

The name roughly translates to “child of the deep ocean,” reflecting the status of the mountain off the coast of Hawaii.

Kamaehuakanaloa is shield volcano similar to the more famous Kilauea and Mauna Loa mountains on the Big Island.

The undersea volcano rises approximately 10,200 feet above the ocean floor, but even at its highest peak it is still several thousand feet below the ocean’s surface, according to the USGS.

volcanoThe last known eruption occurred in 1996, and there have been only a few episodes in the last 150 years.

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The Hawaii Volcano Observatory said it was closely monitoring the situation but had not issued any heightened warnings.

Kilauea is currently the largest volcano on the islands, with steam occasionally rising from a lava flow field, but the observatory reports that the mountain is not actively erupting.