Swarm of small quakes rocks Big Island
Rangers close most of Volcanoes National Park

More than 260 small earthquakes shook the upper East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano beginning early this morning, prompting officials to close off most of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as a precaution to protect visitors.

Scientists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have been monitoring the situation closely since the swarm of earthquakes began around 2:15 a.m. As of 4:30 a.m., nearby residents felt the rumble with 10 of the earthquakes reaching a magnitude greater than 3.

The Chief had the opportunity to visit this area a few years ago…one of the most incredibly awesome natural phenomena that can be imagined to see MELTED ROCK flowing beneath a crust of hardened lava, while you’re standing there watching it!

Anyway, the concern is that historically a flurry of quakes like this in an (in this case) active or potentially active volcaninc area can be a precursor to an increase (or start) of volcanic activity. If something more happens, we’ll all hear about it. If not, not.