Early morning magnitude-4.7 earthquake rattles Big Island and beyond

If you didn’t feel it, wow.

The Big Island — and beyond — was rattled by a magnitude-4.7 earthquake at 12:52 a.m. today that struck 9 miles south of Fern Forest in Puna at a depth of 4 miles below sea level.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that this morning’s temblor had no apparent impact on either Kīlauea or Mauna Loa volcanos. Seismic activity in Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone has increased again during the past couple of days.

Most earthquakes in the region where this quake happened are caused by abrupt motion of Kīlauea’s south flank, which moves to the southeast over the oceanic crust.

The location, depth and waveforms recorded as part of today’s earthquake are consistent with slip along faults related to the south flank detachment fault.

Aftershocks are possible in the coming days to weeks.

“Felt nothing in Volcano,” reported Virginia Becker in a comment on Facebook early this morning.

She wasn’t alone. At least two others, a person from Ocean View and another in the lower Kaʻūmana area in Hilo, also reported they didn’t feel a thing.

But it seems like they very much were the minority.

There were easily 250-plus comments on 9 Facebook posts in groups and elsewhere by Big Islanders asking if anyone else felt the earthquake almost immediately after it happened. They also garnered hundreds of combined likes and other reactions.

There were 454 official “Felt” reports made by citizen scientists from throughout the islands to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 300 within the first hour alone after the earthquake.

That includes 119 from Hilo, 70 from the Pāhoa area and 67 from Kea‘au. There were also 42 from the Mountain View area, 40 from the Volcano area and 35 from Kurtistown.

The farthest away “Felt” report from the epicenter came from Waimea, Kaua‘i, about 347 miles northwest.

Most community reports were of light shaking while instruments did record moderate shaking. No damages are expected to buildings or infrastructure.

Pono Auwae-Landford said feeling the shaker was “too crazyyyyyy” in a comment.

“My son jumped out of bed and shielded his 6-food shelf of Lego projects with his small self, not scared of the earthquake so much as seeing all his work in pieces on the floor,” commented Chuck Wagon on a post at 12:54 a.m. in the Hilo Happenings group. “I think our old plantation home his great-great-great-grandfather built must have seen hundreds of these shakes and she’s still full of spirit.”

Neal Lapinig commented that the parakeets in his backyard, about 45 of them, started “going crazy” in their enclosure a few seconds prior to the earthquake happening.

That was at about 12:45 a.m.. The same thing happened with the last quake they experienced. He called it “trippy.”

Many people commented that the temblor shook their entire home. Linda Lee Brown was one of them and said pictures on the walls at her North Glenwood Road house were rattled askew.

Another common experience was finding yourself in a shake and wake situation, being roused from your slumber by the earthquake: “My gosh it woke me up. Thought I imagined it!” wrote Aubrey Gamble.

Others simply reported feeling the “shakey shake” “big-time.”

Some had more fun with their replies when telling their friends if they felt the shaker.

“Yessas. Sorry,” wrote Waffles Gibbs replying to Lei Lyons in a Hilo Happenings post. “I ate Taco Bell.”

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes for any changes.