Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, awoke Monday. Video from the USGS shows lava spewing into the air while also pooling around the eruption site.
HILO, Hawaii – A swarm of earthquakes shook Hawaii‘s Big Island late Sunday evening, part of a pattern that has been ongoing since 2019.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.3 earthquake about a mile west-southwest of Pahala, Hawaii, just after 11 p.m. local time. No injuries or structural damage were reported. According to the USGS, the quake triggered a series of four aftershocks in the same region, including a magnitude 3.7 quake just 15 minutes later.
The temblors come amid eruptions at the Kilauea volcano, just 26 miles north of Pahala.
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Fountaining at Kīlauea summit has increased in vigor on December 29 (Hawaiian Volcano Observatory/USGS).
According to the USGS’ Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Sunday’s quakes have not impacted Kilauea or Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano.
The initial 4.3 quake was registered roughly 19 miles below the Earth’s surface, according to the USGS, and was felt as far away as the island of Oahu.
The agency said more aftershocks are possible in the coming days and weeks.
Pahala felt a similar-sized earthquake this past November and deep seismic activity has been ongoing in the region since 2019, according to USGS.
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Kilauea still erupting after waking up last week
While these earthquakes are not impacting Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, it has been intermittently erupting since Dec. 23.
According to the latest update from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the intensity of these eruptions, so-called “lava fountaining,” has strengthened after weakening in the days after the initial eruption.
Webcam observations by USGS scientists show that these eruptions are currently confined to its crater.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park warned visitors about dangerous volcanic gas released by eruptions. A combination of sulfur and carbon dioxide, known as vog, can be carried by the wind and impact communities not immediately adjacent to Kilauea.
Some parts of the park have been closed.
This is the sixth eruption within the Kilauea caldera since 2020. According to the USGS, these eruptions in the summit region have lasted for about a week to more than a year in duration.
Kilauea has been erupting continuously since 1983.