Earthquakes strike near Hawaii's Kilauea volcano as Aloha State awaits impending tropical cyclones
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is showing elevated signs of unrest with more than 200 earthquakes. A magnitude 4.7 quake rattled the Hilo area early Thursday morning.
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HAWAII VOLCANO NATIONAL PARK – Geologists are issuing advisories for Hawaii's Kilauea volcano after recent increased earthquake activity, which can be a sign of an impending eruption.
Kilauea last experienced an active eruption briefly on June 3, which ended a few days later. Since July, the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) has closely monitored earthquake swarms and continued unrest.
With the latest update on Wednesday, the HVO issued an advisory, which means the volcano is showing elevated signs of unrest. The USGS issues aviation alerts in case of an eruption, which can send ash into the atmosphere and cause visibility and operational issues for aircraft. On Wednesday, the aviation alert code is yellow.
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This graphic shows the earthquake activity in Hawaii over the past 24 hours. (FOX Weather)
More than 200 earthquakes have occurred between Kilauea's summit and Rift Zone regions, with most occurring near the Puhimau Crater in the UERZ region.
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake was detected south of Fern Forest, Hawaii, early Thursday morning, with people in cities such as Hilo reporting they felt the shaking.
More than a dozen earthquakes have been detected south of Halema‘uma‘u and near Keanakākoʻi Crater with magnitudes of less than 2.
Smoke rising from the Halemaʻumaʻu crater on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Aug. 21, 2024. (USGS)
"Most earthquakes have been too small to feel, but several were reported felt in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and surrounding communities," the HVO said.
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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remains open. A Volcanic Activity Notice will be issued if activity changes significantly, which may lead to temporary closures.
In addition to monitoring volcanic activity, Hawaii officials are watching for potential tropical development in the Eastern and Central Pacific. The National Hurricane Center is issuing updates for invests 90E and 91E, which are expected to merge and bring impacts to the Hawaiian Islands in the coming days.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, the extent of those impacts is still too early to know.