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Location:
22 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii
Period:
7 Apr 2017 12:46:04 - 12 Apr 2017 03:02:18 (4 days 14 hours 16 minutes)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
Mauna Loa(4km), Hualalai(32km), Kilauea(38km), Mauna Kea(42km), Kama'ehuakanaloa(73km)
Earthquakes:
129
20 swarms found nearby.
2004
28 Aug
24 days 12 hours
397 earthquakes
11 Oct
19 days 12 hours
360 earthquakes
VS20041110.1(14.8km)
9 Nov
24 days 3 hours
334 earthquakes
14 Dec
15 days 10 hours
342 earthquakes
2006
VS20060312.1(27.3km)
11 Mar
3 days 5 hours
41 earthquakes
2015
1 May
6 days 18 hours
118 earthquakes
23 Jul
23 hours
34 earthquakes
2016
3 Jul
6 days 16 hours
84 earthquakes
2017
15 Apr
1 day 20 hours
56 earthquakes
2020
S20200302.1(22.3km)
1 Mar
4 days 18 hours
82 earthquakes
4 Dec
5 days 13 hours
110 earthquakes
2021
28 Feb
4 days 16 hours
47 earthquakes
S20210318.1(25.1km)
18 Mar
2 days 15 hours
113 earthquakes
29 Mar
8 days 10 hours
279 earthquakes
7 Apr
12 days 0 hours
300 earthquakes
2022
3 Feb
5 days 5 hours
170 earthquakes
2 Aug
3 days 9 hours
131 earthquakes
23 Sep
14 days 19 hours
375 earthquakes
VS20221128.1(13.5km)
27 Nov
11 days 2 hours
416 earthquakes
2026
S20260524.2(28.5km)
23 May
1 day 8 hours
26 earthquakes
AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm VS20170408.1: Analysis of Activity Near Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii

Seismic swarm VS20170408.1 was recorded in the region 22 km east of Honaunau-Napoopoo on Hawaii's Big Island. The sequence began at 12:46 on 7 April 2017 and concluded at 03:02 on 12 April 2017, spanning 110 hours and 16 minutes. A total of 129 earthquakes were detected during this period.

Hawaii’s geology is shaped by hotspot volcanism, with the Big Island featuring active shield volcanoes including Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Earthquake swarms frequently occur due to magma intrusion, dike propagation, and associated crustal stress adjustments along rift zones and flank structures. The Kona coast area experiences such events as part of broader volcanic-tectonic processes linked to the island’s ongoing growth.

Examination of the first 100 events reveals predominantly low-magnitude activity. Magnitudes ranged from 0.2 to 3.2, with the majority below 1.5. Depths clustered between 3 and 5 km, though a few events reached 7–10 km or occurred at shallower levels near 0–1 km. The sequence showed an initial phase of scattered low-magnitude tremors on 7 April, followed by a marked increase in both frequency and peak magnitudes on 8 April, including several events of 2.0–3.2. Activity then gradually declined through 9 and 10 April, with smaller events dominating.

This pattern is consistent with fluid-driven or magmatic processes typical of Hawaiian swarms, where initial migration of magma or hydrothermal fluids triggers a burst of seismicity that tapers as pressure equalizes. No events exceeded magnitude 3.2 in the analyzed subset, indicating limited energy release relative to larger tectonic earthquakes.

Historical records since 2000 document eight prior swarms in the same general area. These occurred in 2004 (four swarms), 2006 (one swarm), 2015 (two swarms), and 2016 (one swarm). Such recurrent activity underscores the persistent volcanic-tectonic environment of the region.

The swarm data originate from SeismoSight internal classification and are presented without external verification of individual event parameters.

References

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports on regional seismicity (2000–2017).
Hawaii State Earthquake Data archives for swarm frequency statistics.