The increase in seismic activity at the Kilauea volcano, in Hawaii, United States, caused around 320 earthquakes in 24 hours, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) indicated this Friday.
The earthquakes recorded under the highest point of Kilauea, which is currently not erupting, began on Wednesday, when the volcano began to show signs of “high agitation”, according to a USGS statement, cited by the North American station CNN.
Most of the tremors originated from the seismic swarm – a succession of low-magnitude earthquakes – that was occurring in a region south of Kilauea’s summit caldera, at depths of up to about three kilometers below the surface.
Officials said there remain “significant risks” around Halema’uma’u Crater, including “crater wall instability, ground fissures and rockfalls that could be intensified by earthquakes” in an area closed to the public.
The frequency of earthquakes in the area had decreased by Friday at 06:00 local time (17:00 Lisbon time), but authorities reported that seismicity is still considered high.
Source: TSF
