Magnitude-4.2 quake off Big Island felt as far away as Waimea on Kauaʻi

It was a natural moment that if you felt it, you felt it. If you didn’t, you didn’t. Otherwise, we’d say, there was a lot of interpretation.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported at 9:13 a.m. that a magnitude-4.2 earthquake rattled the Big Island and beyond about 45 minutes earlier at 8:26 a.m. Sunday morning (Oct. 19). It struck 11 miles northwest of Kalaʻoa at a depth of 27 miles, offshore and near Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport.

The earthquake had no apparent impact on either Mauna Loa or Kīlauea volcanoes. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to monitor both volcanoes for any changes.

Aftershocks are possible in the coming days to weeks.

There was no tsunami threat, and no damage to buildings or infrastructure was expected based on the earthquake’s intensity.

“Big jolt!” exclaimed Michael Konowicz in an 8:38 a.m. Sunday post to the Waimea Insiders group on Facebook.

“Yep[,] a good way to start out day!” replied Salena Perez.

Amanda Cohen in Kalaʻoa said in response to an 8:32 a.m. post in the Maui 24/7 group that she heard a loud bang first and then felt two quake ripples.

“Long rumble and bang in Kawaihae,” added Marc Mar.

Mark Seitz in Captain Cook commented that his dogs “freaked out” when the ground under their paws rumbled Sunday morning when the temblor struck.

“Yup. I felt that,” simply replied Heidi Miller.

There were more than 195 Felt Reports made within the first hour after the quake struck. There were 252 Felt Reports by 10:45 a.m.

Community members and instruments reported only light shaking.

Most Felt Reports, 70, had come from the Kailua-Kona area by just before 11 a.m. The second most, 43, were lodged by people in the Waimea area. Waikōloa residents also seemed to feel the shaker pretty well, with 33 Felt Reports coming from that region.

Seventeen people in the Honokaʻa area reported they felt the quake and 12 in Hilo, rounding out the double-digit Felt Report locations.

Interestingly, the farthest away the temblor was reported felt was in another Waimea in the islands, a little more than 276 miles away on Kauaʻi.

The person characterized the earthquake as a I on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale — a tool used to measure increasing levels of quake intensity that range from imperceptible shaking to catastrophic destruction.

A I generally means while the shaker was felt by that person, it likely was not felt by most others in the area, except for under especially favorable conditions. No damage was reported either.

Felt Reports also came from many places around the Big Island as well as Maui and Oʻahu.

However, everyone didn’t have the same rock and roll experience.

“Felt a little jiggle plus heard a few things rattling,” commented Karin Tolhurst on an 8:54 a.m. post by the Hawai‘i Island Radio Scanner Community group on Facebook.

Moriah Smith, while surprised because of its recorded size, agreed the shaker didn’t amount to much where she was at 1,500 feet, right above Mahaiʻula, when it struck. Maybe because it was so deep? All she felt was a little thud.

“Funny [,] I just thought it was people upstairs,” replied Elijah Polsky on the Maui 24/7 post.

It didn’t seem Sirena Lacour was sure, but she had a theory, as to what happened at her house: “I think my cat felt it,” she commented in the same thread.

Others chiming in the conversation, such as Joanne Ung, shared thoughts about the level — or seeming lack — of larger earthquake activity happening around the island, especially with other geological forces at play.

“Surprised there hasn’t been more with all that activity Tutu Pele has been up to,” commented Ung, speaking specifically about the ongoing episodic summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island, which just finished up the early morning of Oct. 18 with its 35th episode of spectacular continuous lava fountaining after about 7.5 hours of molten rock erupting from both vents in Halema’uma’u Crater inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Mike Manninen speculated that there could be some relationship — despite Hawaiian Volcano Observatory saying otherwise — between the earthquake and the eruption.

“After the 1[,]500 foot lava fountains[,] it seems there is some pressure on this magma chamber,” wrote Manninen in a later comment on the Maui 24/7 thread.

Yet others just didn’t feel the ground move under their feet at all Sunday morning.

“Weird!” exclaimed Claire Koenig in a comment on the Hawai‘i Island Radio Scanner Community post. “I was by Pine Tree Caf[é], in church, didn’t feel it.”