HONOLULU — The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck south of Hawaii Island on Sunday, but no tsunami threat was detected.
Preliminary magnitude 6.2 earthquake off the southern coast of Hawaii, offshore from the Kilauea/Mauna Loa facing side of the island. #Hawaii #earthquake pic.twitter.com/3gDL6To4DX
— Rob Mayeda (@RobMayeda) October 10, 2021
The quake occurred roughly 17 miles south-southeast of Naalehu, Hawaii News Now reported.
According to the USGS, strong shaking was recorded throughout Hawaii Island and across most of the main islands, with more than 1,300 reports of shaking recorded by the agency’s “Did you feel it?” reporting system within one hour of the quake, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
“I was standing out here watching everyone board and it felt like a ripple underneath my feet, and I felt it twice,” Angela Reich, a Hawaii Airlines worker at Kona International Airport, told Hawaii News Now.
The initial quake was followed by a 4.3-magnitude temblor in the same area and at least five other aftershocks of 2.5 or greater, the Star-Advertiser reported.
Ken Hon, scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, told the newspaper that Sunday’s quake was not related to the ongoing eruption of Kilauea volcano and only a few minor rock falls within Halemaumau Crater related to the seismic activity were reported.
Based on the depth of its epicenter, the quake is likely related to the bending of the oceanic plate from the weight of the Hawaiian island chain, Hon added.
While Hawaii County Civil Defense confirmed to the Star-Advertiser that it received no damage reports Sunday afternoon, the intensity of the recorded shaking could have resulted in “very slight damage to buildings or (poorly constructed) structures,” the USGS stated.
©2021 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
