Researchers deploy sensors in the aftermath of a 6.0 earthquake

In the wake of the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island of Hawaii on May 22, researchers from the University of Hawaii have been working to try to better understand the cause and repercussions of the event, which damaged about 150 buildings.

Sin Mei Wu, a seismologist at UH Manoa, was at the site of the quake’s epicenter — about 7 miles south of Honaunau-Napu’poua on the Kona side — last week with a team of researchers deploying an array of seismic sensors.

While the USGS Hawaii Volcano Observatory maintains a network of sensors across the island, Wu said they are mainly concentrated in areas with high volcanic activity, and there were very few of them near the Honaunau area.

She and her team set up a total of 30 temporary, portable sensors in 15 different locations around Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park to capture and monitor potential aftershocks.

“This is our goal. We want to capture all the aftershocks, and then try to describe them,” she said, adding that they had detected a 3.3-magnitude earthquake in the same area on Monday. “It doesn’t give off the same shaking, but it actually comes from the same source area as the magnitude six, so studying this type of smaller earthquake can also help us understand what’s going on.”

Unlike more frequent, low-magnitude earthquakes associated with the island’s volcano, the May 22 event was what’s known as a ductile earthquake, meaning it was caused by the tectonic plates on which Hawaii, 14 miles below sea level, flex due to the weight of the islands above them, according to the USGS.

Hawaii’s location relative to tectonic plates makes it unique compared to many other seismically active areas, said Helen Janiszewski, another UH Manoa seismologist who works with Wu.

“One of the key things here is that, in Hawaii, we are in the middle of tectonic plates, not at plate boundaries. Most earthquakes occur at plate boundaries along well-defined fault zones,” she said. “We have a completely different system here.”

For this reason, she said, studying events like the recent earthquake can be more difficult without similar settings to compare.

“Unlike other tectonic boundaries, it is very difficult for us to infer the types of processes that govern these types of folding earthquakes in detail, because we cannot infer from similar systems elsewhere globally with the same ease,” she said. “At plate boundaries, similar systems exist for comparison, which is why it is particularly important to be able to deploy this temporary array to study aftershock sequences, because it will help us understand the fault geometry better.”

The sensor array will remain in place for two months, which Wu said should be long enough to capture any additional aftershocks.

It also provides a window into data collection that will provide researchers with valuable information on seismic activity in this region of West Hawaii, Janiszewski said.

“Because this represents something of a gap in the permanent network maintained by HVO, it also represents an opportunity to obtain some of the first-ever dense, high-resolution seismic data in a region of the Hawaiian Islands that has not been studied much,” she said. “Earthquake response is clearly the main driver here, but we will certainly also be looking for more general types of structural information for an area that has not yet been studied.”

Thomas Lee, a professor of geology at the University of Hilo, was also involved in the project and helped coordinate the deployment of the sensors. He said he hopes the data collected will improve understanding of earthquakes on the islands and help communities better prepare for them.

“We can’t predict earthquakes. We can’t tell you, ‘Okay, it’s going to be five-and-a-half magnitude three months from now,’ but we do our best to predict it, meaning this is the percentage chance that you’ll experience this amount of shaking in this place in the next 20 years,” he added.

“The better information we have, the better we can make things like our building codes and our preparations that go into various things like civil defense warnings, to let emergency managers, the fire department and all the other stakeholders know what to expect.”

Email Grace Inez Adams at [email protected].

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos