Several volcanic earthquakes strike near Kilauea’s summit as officials add tsunamis to the list of threats posed by ongoing eruptions on Hawaii’s Big Island
Several earthquakes struck near the summit of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano on Thursday and Friday, officials say
The largest tremor had a recorded magnitude of 4.4, striking the center of the volcano at 12:45pm on Friday
That magnitude is considered to be light and was not strong enough to generate a tsunami, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has warned of potential aftershocks
Volcano-related earthquakes have caused cracks to open up across the Big Island’s southeastern region
Geologists have said after three weeks of escalating activity, Kilauea has entered a ‘steady state’ of eruption
By MEGAN SHEETS
DAILYMAIL.COM
26 May 2018
Several earthquakes have struck near the summit of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, including one with a magnitude of 4.4, officials have reported.
The light tremor was recorded right at the center of the volcano that has been erupting for more than three weeks on Friday afternoon at around 12.45pm.
While the quake wasn’t strong enough to generate a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has warned of potential aftershocks.
The earthquake activity has been accompanied by almost a month of continuous eruptions on the Big Island, sending massive lava streams tearing across the land and thick clouds of volcanic ash looming in the sky.
Kilauea’s ongoing eruptions have been captured in hundreds of dramatic photographs, including some of rare blue flames coming out of cracks in the pavement earlier this week.
The blue flames are created when underground methane gas, produced by the volcano, escapes through cracks created by volcanic quakes and ignites from burning lava and vegetation.
US Geological Survey scientist Jim Kauahikaua said this is only the second time that he’s seen the blue flames during an eruption.
‘It’s very dramatic. It’s very eerie,’ he told reporters.
The volcano-related earthquakes have caused cracks to open up across the Big Island’s southeastern region.
In one case, a heartbroken family who evacuated during the early eruptions returned home to find their property perched dangerously on top of a massive 10-foot wide crack.
Noah Friend, his fiance Shantel Pacarro and their two children Naiah, 12, and Nainoa, 11, found the huge crack, which runs 500-feet through the backyard and directly under the home, threatening to swallow the property whole on Monday.
‘It’s just heartbreaking. There’s so many memories in that house. This is very devastating for our whole family, even our children. They grew up there. It’s the only home they knew,’ Pacarro said.
‘We’re all heartbroken.’
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