Magma Plume: Mauna Kea shaken by large swarm of earthquakes

October 20, 2011 – HAWAII – After yesterday’s post on the “swarm” at Rainier (which apparently rubbed a lot of people the wrong way), I was hesitant to post on the news coming from Mauna Kea right away, but if you’re looking for a real swarm of earthquakes at a volcano, look no further (see above). Since early yesterday (Hawaii time), the volcano has experienced at least 38 earthquakes, some as large at M 4.5, all centered NW of the main summit of Mauna Kea, all at depths between 14-19 km, all below the crust under the Big Island. This is what a suspicious swarm looks like, where we have a strong focus of seismicity at depth under an active volcano – the question now is how persistent will this swarm be. More likely than not, these earthquakes will lead to nothing – and HVO says these earthquakes are “most likely caused by structural adjustments within the Earth’s crust due to the heavy load of Mauna Kea”. Remember, Mauna Kea is a huge point weight on the crust and upper mantle below Hawai’i, towering over 4,200 m / 13,800 feet above the surrounding seafloor, so a lot of stress can accumulate from the mass of the volcano. This means earthquakes are likely common as that stress builds. Remember, Kilauea and Mauna Loa are not the only active volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Haulalai last erupted as recently as 1801, while Mauna Kea, the 2nd oldest shield volcano on the island last erupted only 4,470 years ago. –Wired

Mauna Kea volcano: Standing 4,205 m (13,796 ft) above sea level, its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. However, much of the mountain is under water; when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over 10,000 m (33,000 ft) tall—significantly taller than Mount Everest. Mauna Kea is one of five hotspot volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii, the largest and youngest island of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. Of these five volcanoes, Mauna Kea is the fourth oldest and fourth most active. Like all Hawaiian volcanoes, Mauna Kea has been created by the Hawaiian hotspot, as the Pacific tectonic plate has moved over a hotspot in the Earth’s underlying mantle. –Wikipedia

Magma plume thermal kineticism is a sign the Earth is now moving towards the spectrum of catastrophic geological upheavel- a epochal shift that will have profound implications for all life forms on the planet. –The Extinction Protocol

contribution Luisport