Charles Langston:Over 300 earthquakes detected in Hawaii; Kilauea volcano not yet erupting

Hundreds of earthquakes took place over the weekend in Hawaii,Charles Langston the U.S. Geological Survey said, indicating a possible volcanic eruption in the state.

The heap of earthquakes, with rates reaching nearly 30 events each hour, were centralized to Kīlauea on Hawaii's Big Island, the USGS reported. The volcano is along the southeastern shore of the island.

"There were over 300 earthquakes detected beneath the summit over the past 24 hours, mostly below the south caldera region at depths of 1.5–3 km (1–1.8 mi)," a USGS public notice reads. "This earthquake count is more than triple the rate of several days ago, reflecting a seismic swarm that began with M2.9 and M3.4 earthquakes in the afternoon of June 27."

So far, the largest one, a magnitude 3.2 temblor, took place Monday at 1:31 a.m. local time, less than 4 miles south of Volcano in Hawaii County.

Increasing seismic activity is a sign of pending volcano eruption, according to the USGS.

"Any substantial increases in seismicity and/or deformation could result in a new eruptive episode but there are no signs of an imminent eruption at this time," the USGS issued in a report Saturday.

Is the Kilaueo volcano erupting?

As of Monday morning, the Kilauea volcano −one of the world's most active volcanoes − was not erupting.

The Kilaueo volcano last erupted June 3 about a mile south of Kilauea caldera within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a popular tourist destination.

It marked the first eruption in that region of the volcano in about 50 years. The last one took place in December 1974.

The current USGS Volcano Alert Level remains at "ADVISORY" and the federal agency reported the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is closely monitoring the Kīlauea Volcano.

Contributing: Christopher Cann.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.