News Release U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey For Release: April 14, 2009, 2:30 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 5.0 Earthquake on the South Flank of Kīlauea Volcano A magnitude-5.0 earthquake beneath the south flank of Kilauea Volcano was recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) on Tuesday, April 14, at 12:44 p.m. H.s.t. The earthquake was located about 12 km (8 miles) southeast of Kilauea's summit and 44 km (27 miles) south-southwest of Hilo at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The earthquake was felt over the entire Island of Hawai`i. The U.S. Geological Survey received over 350 felt reports in the first 30 minutes after the earthquake (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/dyfi/). Eleven earthquakes with magnitudes of 4 or greater, including three with magnitudes of 5 or more, have occurred in this area, the central part of Kilauea’s south flank, at nearly the same depth (8-10 km or 5-6 miles) in the last 25 years. These quakes are thought to be caused by southward movement of the south flank in response to magmatic pressure within the east rift zone. The earthquake caused no apparent change to the current eruption of Kilauea. Monitoring networks supported by HVO have not detected significant changes in volcano activity. For eruption updates and information on recent earthquakes in Hawai`i, visit the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov. 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; products-pr; lecture-pr. In the body of the message write: subscribe (name of listserver) (your name). Example: subscribe water-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. ==============================================================
