Categorized | Earthquake, Kilauea Eruption, News

Earthquake at Kilauea summit sends ash plume up to 8,000 feet Sunday afternoon (June 3)

An ash plume rises from Halemaumau Crater at 4 p.m. HST Sunday, June 3, 2018. Image via USGS/HVO webcam

An ash plume rises from Halemaumau Crater at 4 p.m. HST Sunday, June 3, 2018. Image via USGS/HVO webcam

3:51 p.m. HST Sunday (June 3) earthquake epicenter at Kilauea summit.

3:51 p.m. HST Sunday (June 3) earthquake epicenter at Kilauea summit.

TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER   1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
356 PM HST SUN JUN 03 2018

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 - 0351 PM HST 03 JUN 2018
   COORDINATES - 19.4 NORTH  155.3 WEST
   LOCATION    - IN THE SUMMIT REGION OF KILAUEA VOLCANO
   MAGNITUDE   - 5.8

EVALUATION

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

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

This is a Civil Defense message for Sunday, June 3 at 4:50 p.m.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reports the earthquake that occurred at approximately 3:51 p.m. was NOT large enough to cause a tsunami for the Island of Hawaii. There is NO tsunami threat for the island of Hawaii.

Preliminary data indicates that the earthquake measuring a magnitude of 5.5 was centered at the Kilauea Summit.

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 electricity.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: An ash plume at the Kilauea Summit reached up to 8,000 feet and the wind is blowing in the southwest direction. The ash fallout will affect the Volcano and Pahala areas.

This animated GIF shows a sequence of radar amplitude images that were acquired by the Italian Space Agency's Cosmo-SkyMed satellite system. The images illustrate changes to the caldera area of Kīlauea Volcano that occurred between May 5 and June 2 at 6:00 p.m. HST. The satellite transmits a radar signal at the surface and measures the strength of the return, with bright areas indicating a strong return and dark areas a weak return. Strong returns indicate rough surfaces or slopes that point back at the radar, while weak returns come from smooth surfaces or slopes angled away from the radar. Over time, expansion of the summit eruptive vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater and the widening of Halema‘uma‘u itself are clear. The last image in the sequence, from June 2, shows the development of several cracks outside Halema‘uma‘u (previously seen in UAS footage of the crater) and inward slumping of a large portion of the western crater rim. The west side of Halema‘uma‘u is clearly unstable, and it is possible that rockfalls and continued slumping will occur in the future.

This animated GIF shows a sequence of radar amplitude images that were acquired by the Italian Space Agency’s Cosmo-SkyMed satellite system. The images illustrate changes to the caldera area of KÄ«lauea Volcano that occurred between May 5 and June 2 at 6:00 p.m. HST. The satellite transmits a radar signal at the surface and measures the strength of the return, with bright areas indicating a strong return and dark areas a weak return. Strong returns indicate rough surfaces or slopes that point back at the radar, while weak returns come from smooth surfaces or slopes angled away from the radar. Over time, expansion of the summit eruptive vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater and the widening of Halema‘uma‘u itself are clear. The last image in the sequence, from June 2, shows the development of several cracks outside Halema‘uma‘u (previously seen in UAS footage of the crater) and inward slumping of a large portion of the western crater rim. The west side of Halema‘uma‘u is clearly unstable, and it is possible that rockfalls and continued slumping will occur in the future.

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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