5.3 Earthquake Near Kilauea

One of the larger earthquakes in recent years occurred at 8:24 PM local time about ten miles southeast of Kilauea's Halemaumau Crater. Preliminary data indicates that the quake registered a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale.

As reported on KPUA in Hilo, Big Island Mayor Harry Kim and Hawaii County Civil Defense reported that the quake was not strong enough to generate a tsunami and that there was no new volcanic activity reported. There were no reports on damage or injuries.

Earthquakes occur on a daily basis on the Big Island, but this was one of the more significant in recent years. The largest recent earthquake occurred on June 25, 1989 near Kalapana. That was a 6.2 quake that resulted in approximately $1 million in damage.

The most damaging earthquake in Hawaii in modern times occurred on April 2, 1968 on the Big Island. That was a 7.9 quake that resulted in a tsunami. In that quake 81 people died and approximately 100 homes were destroyed.

You can view a near real-time graphic of earthquakes on the Big Island from the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.

We'll keep you posted of any new developments.