The Kilauea volcano, located within Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park, has been experiencing a seismic swarm with 30 earthquakes per hour, amounting to 500 tremors over the weekend. Despite this intense activity, no eruption has been recorded so far.
Geologists monitor seismic swarm
Geologists from the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS HVO) reported that the Upper East Rift Zone of Kilauea began experiencing a “seismic swarm” on the afternoon of June 27. Hundreds of earthquakes have since shaken the region.
According to the USGS, seismic activity increased significantly to around 30 events per hour. Between Saturday and Sunday, more than 500 earthquakes were detected beneath the Upper East Rift Zone and its surrounding areas.
Slight easing of activity
The earthquake activity “slightly” eased on Sunday morning, according to USGS HVO. “There were over 300 earthquakes detected beneath the summit over the past 24 hours, mostly below the south caldera region at depths of 1.5–3 km (1–1.8 mi),” read a USGS public notice. “This earthquake count is more than triple the rate of several days ago, reflecting a seismic swarm that began with M2.9 and M3.4 earthquakes in the afternoon of June 27,” it added.
Previous eruptions have occurred beneath the upper East Rift Zone near Pauahi Crater and Hi’iaka Crater. The USGS stated, “Any substantial increases in seismicity and/or deformation could result in a new eruptive episode, but there are no signs of an imminent eruption at this time.”
Impending eruption?
Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has not erupted since June 3. The last eruption, which occurred a mile south of Kilauea caldera within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, ceased after several days. The area had not witnessed any eruption in nearly 50 years.
Currently, there is no indication of magma moving towards the eruption site. While the increase in seismic activity suggests the possibility of an impending volcanic eruption, predicting its exact timing remains challenging.
