Two M4.2 Earthquakes Epicentered 40mi Offshore, West of Hawaii Island, 7:41am
8:15 PM · Jul 7, 2021Separated by two seconds, two magnitude 4.2 earthquakes were recorded offshore of Kailua-Kona at 7:41am this morning. The first M4.2 earthquake had a depth of 21.6km, while the second earthquake was much shallower, with a depth of 1km below sea-level. USGS-HVO released an information statement on the second earthquake, but that statement makes no mention of the earthquake immediately preceding it. Both earthquakes show that they've been reviewed by a seismologist on the USGS earthquake hazards program. In the USGS-HVO statement, Scientist-In-Charge Ken Hon state, "the earthquake was likely due to readjustment of the oceanic plate from the weight of the island chain and poses no significant hazard. The earthquake had no apparent effect on either Mauna Loa or Kīlauea and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that no tsunami was generated by the earthquake.” Reports from those that felt the quake include Oahu, but there are only 'Felt It' reports filed with USGS for one earthquake. The shallower M4.2 has received 88 'Felt' reports, where the deeper M4.2 has received zero. The discrepancy is likely due to the link to report the shallow M4.2 was shared in the most recent USGS information statement, the other earthquake was not. Being separated by only 2 seconds it would not be easy to determine which quake you might have felt, but If you felt the earthquakes you can submit a ‘Felt report’ to USGS here: Shallower M4.2: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/hv72569232/tellus Deeper M4.2: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000esy8/tellus ----------- USGS-HVO Statement (7.7.2021): A magnitude-4.2 earthquake located to the west of the Island of Hawai‘i, was reported by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, at 7:41 a.m. HST. The earthquake was located 72 km (45 mi) west-northwest of Kalaoa, Hawaiʻi at a depth of 1 km (0.6 mi). A map showing the earthquake location is posted on HVO's website at https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/earthquakes. More details are available at the National Earthquake Information Center website at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/hv72569232/. Weak shaking, with a maximum intensity of III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, has been reported on the west side of the Island of Hawai‘i and on Maui. At that intensity, significant damage to buildings or structures is not expected. The USGS “Did you feel it?” website (https://earthquake.usgs.gov/dyfi/) received over 75 felt reports within the first hour of the earthquake. According to HVO Scientist-in-Charge Ken Hon, “the earthquake was likely due to readjustment of the oceanic plate from the weight of the island chain and poses no significant hazard. The earthquake had no apparent effect on either Mauna Loa or Kīlauea and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that no tsunami was generated by the earthquake.” For information on recent earthquakes in Hawaii and volcano updates, visit the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website at https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory.