Magma plume: 4.7 magnitude earthquake strikes under Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano

January 24, 2012 – HAWAII – No damage was reported in the aftermath of a 4.7 -magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks that rattled Hawaii’s Big Island, officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 4:36 p.m. Sunday, 5 miles beneath Kilauea volcano. The epicenter was 26 miles south of Hilo and 222 miles southeast of Honolulu. About 20 small aftershocks were recorded, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. The largest aftershock was a 3.1 magnitude. The Holei Pali area of Kilauea’s south flank has had 16 earthquakes of 4.5-magnitude or greater in the past 50 years, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory spokeswoman Janet Babb said. –Disaster News