Hawaii Earthquake 2012: 4.7 Quake Hits Big Island

Hawaii's first major earthquake of 2012, a 4.7 on the Richter scale, hit Big Island on Sunday, though no damage or injury was reported. They were also hit with several smaller aftershocks, all around 220 miles southeast of Hawaii's capital of Honolulu.

The earthquake hit near the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at around 4:30 p.m., and the epicenter was five miles deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There is no tsunami threat, however, according to the National Weather Service.

Hawaii's Big Island felt 20 aftershocks in the hours that followed after the earthquake, the largest, a 3.1 on the Richter scale, came 10 minutes after the initial earthquake. The earthquake was initially reported as a 5.0, but was reduced to a 4.7, three times weaker, after a seismologist reviewed it.

Joe Lopez, 70, told the Associated Press that he felt a pretty good jolt at his home, and said the earthquake sent books and other items tumbling out onto the floor. The Hilo Emergency Operating Center opened immediately after the earthquake, but was closed after 45 minutes when no calls came in.

The area around the Kilauea volcano has been hit with 16 earthquakes of 4.5 or stronger in the last 50 years, eight of which have come since 1983. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said that they did not detect any activity changes in the volcano.