Strong Earthquakes Strike Off Hawaii Coast; No Tsunami Threat

In this image, a sign warns of danger at a waterfall swollen by rain from Hurricane Lane in Hilo, Hawaii, on Aug. 25, 2018.

Two earthquakes, with a magnitude of 6.1 and 6.2, rattled the south of Hawaii's Big Island on Sunday. However, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said there is no tsunami threat or immediate reports of damage.

While the 6.1 magnitude quake struck about 17 miles south of Naalehu around noon, the second one was reported about 20 minutes later in the same area, reported US Today. USGS categorizes a 6.3 magnitude earthquake as "strong."

Over 1,300 residents felt the trembler within one hour, according to the USGS "Did you feel it?" service. Though no one was injured, the quakes were strong enough to cause items to fall off shelves. The refrigerator display doors at a gas station in Naalehu were opened by the shaking and items fell to the ground.

However, the intensity of the recorded shaking could have caused "very slight damage to buildings or (poorly constructed) structures," according to the USGS.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation said there were no reports of damage at airport runways, commercial harbors or highway bridges.

The quakes reportedly are not connected to the volcano eruption at Hawaii's Kilauea summit. The volcano, one of the most active on Earth, erupted last month.

Ken Hon, scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, told Star-Advertiser that webcams and other data streams indicate no impact on the eruption except for a few minor rockfalls reported within Halemaumau crater.

The quake is likely related to the bending of the oceanic plate from the weight of the Hawaiian island chain, a common source for earthquakes in this area, Hon said, adding, "It also helps to explain why it was felt so far and wide."

The eruption at the Halemaumau crater is reportedly contained within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and it posed no threat to homes in the area.

The last time a quake of this magnitude struck Hawaii was in May 2018. It heralded the initial phases of the destructive three-month-long East Rift Zone eruption. There have been 15 other earthquakes with a magnitude of six or above in the region in the last century.