News Release U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey For Release: March 9, 2009, 2:00 p.m. Contact: Janet Babb USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory P. O. Box 51 Hawaii National Park, HI 96718 Tel: (808) 967-8844 Email: jbabb@xxxxxxxx Magnitude 4.0 earthquake off the northeast coast of Hawai`i Island A magnitude-4.0 earthquake was located off the northeast coast of Hawai`i Island by the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Monday March 9, at 9:44 a.m. H.s.t. It was located about 15 km (10 miles) northeast of Laupahoehoe at a depth of 19 km (12 miles). The quake resulted from internal adjustments within the Earth's crust near Mauna Kea and most likely was not associated with magma or eruptive processes. Today's crustal adjustment, however, was more complex than that of the 2006 Kiholo Bay and Mahukona earthquakes, which were due to flexure of Earth's lithosphere under the island's weight. People from across Hawai`i Island, and as far away as O`ahu, reported feeling the earthquake. Within an hour, over 300 felt reports were received on the USGS "Did you feel it?" Web site (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/dyfi/). This morning's earthquake occurred about 28 km (17 miles) north of the April 26, 1973, magnitude-6.2 Honomu earthquake that occurred at a depth of 38 km (24 miles). Over the last 40 years, on average, Hawai`i Island's Hamakua coast has experienced about one magnitude-3.5 or larger earthquake per year. For eruption updates and information on recent earthquakes in Hawai`i, visit the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Web site at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov. USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit http://www.usgs.gov. Subscribe to USGS News Releases via our electronic mailing list ( http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/list_server.asp) or RSS ( http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/default.asp) feed. The USGS serves the nation by providing reliable scientific information to: describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. ***USGS*** This press release and in-depth information about USGS programs may be found on the USGS home page: www.usgs.gov. To receive the latest USGS news releases automatically by email, send a request to listproc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Specify the listserver(s) of interest from the following names: water-pr: geologic-hazards-pr; biological-pr; geologic-pr; mapping-pr; joe smith. ============================================================== To unsubscribe from the volcano list, send the message: signoff volcano to: listserv@xxxxxxx, or write to: volcano-request@xxxxxxxx To contribute to the volcano list, send your message to: volcano@xxxxxxxx Please do not send attachments. ==============================================================
