5.0 Earthquake Hits Hawaii, At Least 20 Aftershocks Felt

Residents and people vacationing in Hawaii on Sunday felt the effects of a magnitude 5.0 earthquake that rattled the area about 4 miles south of the active Pu’u O’o crater on the Kilauea volcano’s east rift zone.

According to reports the hypcentral depth was approximately 5 miles deep and there is no threat of a tsunami. No report damage was reported at the time of the earthquake.

According to reports a set of smaller quakes were reported within 10 minutes of the first quake and in the the same vicinity following the first and were measured at a magnitude of 3.0.

The Hawaii County Civil Defense released the following statement following the earthquake:

This is a Civil Defense Message. This is an earthquake informational update for Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 at 5PM HST. The earthquake which occurred at approximately 4:38PM was not large enough to cause a tsunami for the Island or state of Hawaii. Preliminary data indicates that the earthquake measured 5.0 and was centered in the vicinity of Kaena Point, Puna. As in all earthquakes, be aware of the possibilities of after shocks. 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. Again, the earthqauke which occurred at approximately 4:38PM measured 5.0 and was not strong enough to cause a tsunami for the Island or State of Hawaii. Thank you.

According to he Hawaiian Volcano Observatory two small collapses occurred at the West Ka’ili’ili lava delta. The observatory noted:

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded a magnitude 4.7 earthquake located beneath Kilauea volcano’s south flank on Sunday, January 22, 2012, at 4:36 p.m. HST. This earthquake was centered near Holei Pali about 7 km (4 mi) south of the Pu‘u ‘O‘o crater and 15 km (9 mi) west of Kalapana, at a depth of 8 km (5 mi).

There have been 20 official aftershocks following the larger quake.

Are you in Hawaii and did you feel the quake as it occurred?