LOS ANGELES, Feb 9, 2024 (AFP) – A strong earthquake hit Hawaii on Friday, US seismologists said, but there was no danger of a tsunami.
The 5.7-magnitude quake struck near Pahala on the main island of Hawaii, with its epicenter located around 37 kilometers (23 miles) below the Earth’s surface, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake was felt all over the main island, according to a website on which people tell the USGS what they experienced.
The agency said the likelihood of fatalities or damage was low.
https://t.co/S1Q8lrA6xO pic.twitter.com/Qjv7p8IVKA
— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) February 9, 2024
M5.7 quake beneath the Island Hawaiʻi (37 km [23 mi] depth). Related to long-term Pāhala activity. Felt throughout the state (as this "did you feel it" map shows!).
HVO Information Statement at https://t.co/NIBcfbxb2i.
Did you feel it? Let us know at https://t.co/aSvKcctNg3. pic.twitter.com/5GnoXG7SoM
— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) February 9, 2024
Hawaii is a seismically active part of the planet despite being in the middle of a huge tectonic plate.
It is home to six active volcanoes including Kilauea, which regularly wows helicopter-riding tourists who come to see its red-hot shows on Hawaii’s Big Island.
It is also the location of Mauna Loa, the world’s biggest volcano, which put on a weeks-long show in 2022 as it erupted for the first time in four decades, with lava fountains 60 meters (200 feet) high that sent rivers of molten rock down its flanks.
