Categorized | Earthquake, Featured, News

Weak quake shakes Hawaii Island Wednesday (Dec 16)

At 12:23 p.m. Wednesday (Dec 16) a weak quake shook Hawaii Island.

At 12:23 p.m. Wednesday (Dec 16) a weak quake shook Hawaii Island.

Magnitude
3.9

Time
2015-12-16 22:23:28 (UTC)
2015-12-16 12:23:28 HST

Nearby Cities
16km (10mi) SE of Volcano, Hawaii
33km (21mi) SSW of Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaii
44km (27mi) S of Hilo, Hawaii
98km (61mi) ESE of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
360km (224mi) SE of Honolulu, Hawaii

A weak quake shook Hawaii Island at 12:23 p.m. Wednesday (Dec 16). No damage was reported from the temblor. It was reportedly widely felt throughout Hawaii Island.

Seismic graph of the 12:23 p.m. 3.9 magnitude quake Wednesday, December 16, 2015.

Seismic graph of the 12:23 p.m. 3.9 magnitude quake Wednesday, December 16, 2015.

The shakemap by the USGS indicates shaking most prominent in Volcano, Puna and Hilo.

The shakemap by the USGS indicates shaking most prominent in Volcano, Puna and Hilo.

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.

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