Scientists rush seismic sensors to Mauna Loa after a 6.0 earthquake

Reading time: 3 minutes Wu and Wen deploy an earthquake sensor. (Image source: Pablo Oura Tapia)

In a rapid response to one of the largest tectonic events to rock Hawaii in decades, scientists from the University of Hawaii’s Department of Earth Sciences at Mānoa deployed a network of temporary seismic sensors across the western side of Mauna Loa on Hawaii Island.

“Capturing aftershock sequences and seismic structure at close range provides a rare opportunity to better understand fault geometry and seismic hazards across the Hawaiian Islands,” said Sin-Mei Wu, an assistant professor in the UH Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST).

Wynn, Urra Tapia, and Wu deploy seismic sensors. (Image source: National Park Service)

The emergency mobilization came in the wake of a strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake near Honaunau-Napuipu’au on May 22. The fault movement, which struck at a depth of 22 kilometers, caused a large earthquake followed by a continuous series of aftershocks (including a magnitude 4.0 one). The initial quake prompted public engagement with more than 7,000 residents across the state submitting a U.S. Geological Survey report titled “Did You Feel It?” Reports – The highest response rate recorded for any earthquake in Hawaii.

Posting from ma kai to ma uka

Unlike typical shallow earthquakes associated with the movement of volcanic magma, this deep event was driven by plate flexion — the sheer weight of massive Hawaiian volcanoes bending the underlying Pacific plate. While these fold earthquakes represent a significant seismic hazard, they are difficult to study because they often originate offshore, far from terrestrial monitoring networks.

The May 22 event provided a rare opportunity to better understand these dangerous processes, as the epicenter of the earthquake was on the ground, allowing the deployment of a temporary seismic array to capture detailed aftershock activity. With funding from the SOEST Dean’s Office and sensors from the NSF EarthScope Consortium, Wu, Pablo Oura Tapia, and Ian Wen, two geoscience graduate students at SOEST, rushed to the island of Hawaii for a three-day field expedition.

“It was definitely all hands on deck to try to make this happen as quickly as possible,” said Helen Janiszewski, an assistant professor of geosciences who supported the planning and will focus on data collection and analysis for the project. Likewise, Thomas Lee, an assistant professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Hilo, helped coordinate logistics, and will work with undergraduate students in comparing this event to the 2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake and other historical events.

The team also received essential assistance from Kamehameha Schools, Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, and Puʻuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park.

“Their assistance allowed us to deploy 30 seismic sensors from Ma Kai to Ma Auka, covering the main shock and aftershock areas,” Wu said. “Our community partners are important collaborators, enabling us to obtain permits and access to the ground so we can deploy the sensor in time to pick up aftershocks.”

Facing extreme off-road conditions across 80% of the terrain, the team successfully placed sensors at elevations ranging from just 100 feet near the coast to 7,500 feet in the ancient, high-altitude lava fields of Mauna Loa.

Seismic hazards in Hawaii

The high-resolution array was completed on June 5, and is now actively recording ongoing ground vibrations. It has already picked up a steady stream of active aftershocks ranging from 1 to 3 magnitudes, and the team expects the enhanced local network to pick up hundreds of small earthquakes ranging from 0 to 1 magnitude that are invisible to standard infrastructure.

“The improved seismic network can detect and characterize those small earthquakes that carry equally important information about the earthquake source area,” Wu said. “This project embodies SOEST’s commitment to rapid hazard response and we expect to collect data that will benefit both scientific research and seismic risk assessment in Hawaii.”

The research team will collect seismic data and then begin analyzing their information set in August.

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