Magnitude 5.3 quake jolts Hawaii Island Thursday morning, no tsunami threat

At 7:01 a.m. HST on Thursday, June 8, 2017 a 5.3 magnitude quake struck the south flank of Kilauea. USGS Graphic

At 7:01 a.m. HST on Thursday, June 8, 2017 a 5.3 magnitude quake struck the south flank of Kilauea. USGS Graphic


Hawaii County Civil Defense audio message

This is a Civil Defense Message. This is an Earthquake information update for Thursday, June 8 at 7:15 a.m. The earthquake which occurred at approximately 7:01 AM was not large enough to cause a tsunami for the Island or State of Hawaii. Preliminary data indicates that the earthquake measured 5.1 on the Richter scale and was centered in the vicinity of the south flank of Kilauea Volcano. As in all earthquakes, be aware of the possibility of aftershocks. If the earthquake was strongly felt in your area, precautionary checks should be made for any damages, especially to utility connections of gas, water and power.

TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
705 AM HST THU JUN 08 2017

TO – EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT – LOCAL TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 0701 AM HST 08 JUN 2017
COORDINATES – 19.3 NORTH 155.1 WEST
LOCATION – ON THE SOUTH FLANK OF KILAUEA VOLCANO
MAGNITUDE – 5.1

EVALUATION

NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED. REPEAT. NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED.
HOWEVER…SOME AREAS MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED SHAKING.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.

If you felt the quake you can report it via the USGS Did You Feel It? survey.

Report on the quake by USGS/HVO

Seismic waveform recorded at Mauna Loa Estates of an earthquake event at 7:01 a.m. HST, Thursday, June 8, 2017.

Seismic waveform recorded at Mauna Loa Estates of an earthquake event at 7:01 a.m. HST, Thursday, June 8, 2017.

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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