Hawaii’s underwater volcano rocked by dozens of earthquakes since the weekend

HONOLULU – An undersea volcano off the southeastern coast of the Big Island of Hawaii has been rocked by a swarm of more than 70 earthquakes since the weekend, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The largest earthquake has been a magnitude 4.3 event that happened just after noon, local time, on Saturday. Meanwhile, there was a magnitude 4.8 earthquake just 3 miles south of the town of Pahala early Tuesday morning. There have been no reports of injuries in any of the quakes.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME KILAUEA ERUPTED? 

Orange dots near the bottom of the image show several earthquakes around an undersea volcano off the southeastern coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

(USGS)

Earthquake activity not expected to impact Hawaii residents

The USGS reports that although earthquake activity declined slightly around midnight, rates of earthquakes remain above background levels on Tuesday.

This undersea volcano is named Kamaʻehuakanaloa, the new name for the former Lo’ihi Seamount, part of an effort to preserve the Indigenous Hawaiian language and traditions.

Kama‘ehuakanaloa’s peak is about 3,189 feet below sea level, according to the USGS.

Undersea volcanoes have the ability to send shockwaves around the planet, like the Tonga undersea eruption of 2022. Scientists are currently debating whether that eruption played a role in raising global temperatures.

However, the USGS said that any eruptions from Kama‘ehuakanaloa are unlikely to impact any of the other active volcanoes in and around the Hawaiian Islands or its residents.

4 CLASSIC TYPES OF VOLCANOES

To learn more about how earthquakes impact Hawaii’s most famous volcano, FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray has an in-depth look: