HONOLULU, Hawaii – Seismologists believe a recent increase earthquake The activity off the coast of Hawaii’s Big Island is likely associated with the movement of magma beneath an underwater volcano, but even if an eruption were imminent, it would not lead to major impacts for the archipelago.

The United States Geological Survey says detected dozens of earthquakes around Kamaʻehuakanaloa, at least two of which were greater than magnitude 4.0.

The underwater volcano is located about 30 miles southeast of the Big Island — far enough that the earthquake swarm was rarely felt.

The agency says previous swarms around volcano they resulted in thousands of earthquakes, but did not result in eruptions that affected the islands.

“Increased seismicity continues at Kamaʻehuakanaloa, but is not expected to affect other volcanoes or any infrastructure on Hawaiʻi Island. The source of the earthquakes is difficult to determine at this time, but may be related to the movement of magma beneath Kamaʻehuakanaloa. Previous swarms linked to the volcano’s likely eruptions have consisted of thousands of earthquakes lasting days to weeks.

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The name “Kamaʻehuakanaloa” was changed in 2021 from “Lōʻihi” by the Hawaii Board on Geographical Names in an effort to preserve the indigenous Hawaiian language and traditions.

The name roughly translates to “child of the deep ocean,” reflecting the mountain’s status off the coast of Hawaii.

Kamaʻehuakanaloa is a shield volcano similar to the more notorious Kīlauea and Mauna Loa mountains on the Big Island.

The underwater volcano rises about 10,200 feet above the ocean floor, but even at its highest peak, it’s still several thousand feet below the ocean’s surface, according to the USGS.

The volcanoThe last known eruption was in 1996, with only a handful of episodes in the last 150 years.

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The Hawaii Volcano Observatory said it was closely monitoring the situation, but did not issue heightened alerts.

Kilauea it is currently the largest volcano on the islands, with occasional steam rising from a lava flow field, but the observer says the mountain is not actively erupting.

Source of the original article: Earthquake swarm detected around underwater volcano near Hawaii