1823 Hawaii earthquake
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
|---|---|
| Local date | June 1, 1823 |
| Local time | 10:00 p.m. local time[1] |
| Magnitude | About 7.0[1] |
| Epicenter | Lower Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea, Hawaii Island |
| Areas affected | Kingdom of Hawaii |
| Max. intensity | MMI IX (Violent)[1] |
| Tsunami | Not reported[1] |
| Casualties | Not reported |
The 1823 Hawaii earthquake occurred on the lower Southwest rift zone of Kīlauea on Hawaii Island in the Kingdom of Hawaii. It occurred on June 1, 1823, and is estimated at about magnitude 7.0, with a maximum intensity of IX.[1]
The earthquake is among the earliest written records of a large earthquake in the Hawaiian Islands. It occurred close in time to the 1823 Keaīwa lava flow, which issued from the Great Crack on Kīlauea's lower Southwest Rift Zone.[1][2]
Tectonic and volcanic setting
[edit]Kīlauea's south flank is a mobile volcanic flank. Large earthquakes there are associated with movement along a nearly horizontal décollement fault at the boundary between Kīlauea's volcanic rocks and the older ocean floor.[3][4]
The lower Southwest Rift Zone contains the Great Crack, a major fissure system associated with the 1823 Keaīwa lava flow. The 1823 lava issued from a continuous fissure about 10 km (6.2 mi) long and formed an unusually thin, fast-moving pāhoehoe sheet flow.[2] The Great Crack is part of a wider crack system in the southwest rift zone of Kīlauea.[5]
Earthquake
[edit]Magnitudes for early Hawaiian earthquakes are based on felt reports and estimated intensities rather than instrumental measurements.[6] The 1823 event is placed on Kīlauea's south flank and assigned an estimated magnitude of about 7.0.[1] The maximum intensity is listed as IX. The earthquake was felt at Kaimū in Puna, where a crack about 1 ft (0.30 m) wide formed, seawater entered a freshwater well, and a stone wall about 4 ft (1.2 m) thick and 6 ft (1.8 m) high was thrown down.[1]
Effects
[edit]Ground deformation on the lower Southwest Rift Zone included the formation of a graben before William Ellis passed through the area on July 31, 1823.[1] The earthquake caused local structural damage in Puna and produced cracking near the coast.[1]
Relation to the 1823 Keaīwa lava flow
[edit]The earthquake and the 1823 Keaīwa lava flow occurred during the same period of unrest on Kīlauea's lower Southwest Rift Zone. The lava flow had ended by the time Ellis crossed the Keaīwa area east of modern Pāhala on July 30–31, 1823; the flow was still steaming and was too hot to walk on in places.[7] Oral accounts placed the eruption less than a month before Ellis's visit.[7]
Field work on the Keaīwa lava flow indicates that the Great Crack formed or widened shortly before and during the eruption. The eruption had very high inferred effusion rates and was preceded by seismicity.[2] The earthquake catalogue notes that the beginning of the eruption may have been close to the large June 1823 earthquake.[1]
Significance
[edit]The 1823 earthquake is the first earthquake entry in the main 1823–1959 Hawaiian earthquake catalogue and one of the earliest large Hawaiian earthquakes documented from written accounts.[6][1] It is also part of the historical record used to evaluate the seismic and volcanic hazards of Kīlauea's south flank and Southwest Rift Zone.[3][2]
See also
[edit]- List of earthquakes in the United States
- List of earthquakes in Hawaii
- 1868 Hawaii earthquake
- 1975 Hawaii earthquake
- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Klein, Fred W.; Wright, Thomas L. "1823–1903 earthquake catalogue table" (PDF). Catalog of Hawaiian Earthquakes, 1823–1959. USGS Professional Paper 1623. United States Geological Survey. pp. 1–2. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ^ a b c d Tonato, Andrea; Shea, Thomas; Downs, Drew T.; Kelfoun, Karim (2025). "Rapid emplacement of the Keaīwa Lava Flow of 1823 from the Great Crack in the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 466 108391. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2025.108391. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ^ a b "Volcano Watch — The missing slow slip events on Kīlauea's south flank". United States Geological Survey. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. February 23, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ^ "Volcano Watch — New research sheds light on relationship between Hilina fault system and large earthquakes". United States Geological Survey. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. August 29, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ^ "The Great Crack and Ala Waiʻi". National Park Service. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. September 21, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ^ a b Klein, Fred W.; Wright, Thomas L. "Catalog of Hawaiian Earthquakes, 1823–1959". USGS Professional Paper 1623. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ^ a b "Volcano Watch — The most unusual Kīlauea eruption...maybe 1823?". United States Geological Survey. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. August 17, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
Further reading
[edit]- Ellis, William (1825). Journal of William Ellis: Narrative of a Tour of Hawaii, or Owhyhee. Boston: Crocker and Brewster.
- Wyss, Max; Koyanagi, Robert Y. (1992). Isoseismal maps, macroseismic epicenters, and estimated magnitudes of historical earthquakes in the Hawaiian Islands (Report). USGS Bulletin 2006. United States Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/b2006.
- Stover, Carl W.; Coffman, Jerry L. (1993). Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989. USGS Professional Paper 1527. United States Geological Survey.