Categorized | Earthquake, News

Light 4.9M quake strikes Hamakua Coast Saturday morning (March 24)

Magnitude
4.9
Date-Time
Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 20:47:15 UTC
Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 10:47:15 AM at epicenter
Location
19.872°N, 155.130°W
Depth
43.5 km (27.0 miles)
Region
ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
Distances
1 km (1 miles) W (271°) from Honomu, HI
5 km (3 miles) NNW (327°) from Pepeekeo, HI
9 km (6 miles) NNW (338°) from Papaikou, HI
19 km (12 miles) NNW (346°) from Hilo, HI
323 km (201 miles) ESE (119°) from Honolulu, HI

By Hawaii 24/7 Staff

A 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Hamakua Coast at 10:47 a.m. Saturday morning (March 24).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reports no danger of a tsunami but cautioned about possible aftershocks.

According to Hawaii 24/7 readers on Twitter and Facebook the temblor was felt widely on the Big Island with reports of strong shaking in Holualoa, Waimea, Kohala, Hilo, and Puna. Slight shaking was reported in Captain Cook during the event.

If you felt the earthquake please share where you were and how it felt in the comments area below.

You can also send in a report to the USGS to help them record information about the event at their website here.

Hawaii County Civil Defense message
Seismic recording of the earthquake from the North slope of Mauna Kea. USGS readout.

Seismic recording of the earthquake from the North slope of Mauna Kea. USGS readout of the past six hours.

Seismic recording of the earthquake from Puna. USGS readout.

Seismic recording of the earthquake from Puna. USGS readout of the past six hours.

Seismic recording of the earthquake at South Point. USGS readout.

Seismic recording of the earthquake at South Point. USGS readout of the past six hours.

USGS: How large does an earthquake have to be to cause a tsunami?

Magnitudes below 6.5
Earthquakes of this magnitude are very unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Magnitudes between 6.5 and 7.5
Earthquakes of this size do not usually produce destructive tsunamis. However, small sea level changes may be observed in the vicinity of the epicenter. Tsunamis capable of producing damage or casualties are rare in this magnitude range but have occurred due to secondary effects such as landslides or submarine slumps.

Magnitudes between 7.6 and 7.8
Earthquakes of this size may produce destructive tsunamis especially near the epicenter; at greater distances small sea level changes may be observed. Tsunamis capable of producing damage at great distances are rare in the magnitude range.

Magnitude 7.9 and greater
Destructive local tsunamis are possible near the epicenter, and significant sea level changes and damage may occur in a broader region.

Note that with a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, the probability of an aftershock with a magnitude exceeding 7.5 is not negligible. To date, the largest aftershock recorded has been magnitude 7.1 that did not produce a damaging tsunami.

One Response to “Light 4.9M quake strikes Hamakua Coast Saturday morning (March 24)”

  1. Paula Uusitalo says:

    Earthquake, Hamakua Hawaii: We were at Kahemahema School, Keaau, (for meetings) it was definitely strong, we were all grateful it was so short and fast. Not a rolling 30 seconds or more with aftershocks.

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