HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck Hawaii Island early Thursday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Authorities confirmed there was no tsunami threat.

The quake happened at 12:52 a.m. south of Fern Forest, at a depth of four miles below sea level.

“Most earthquakes in this region are caused by abrupt motion of Kilauea volcano’s south flank, which moves to the southeast over the oceanic crust,” said the U.S. Geological Survey. “The location, depth, and waveforms recorded as part of today’s earthquake are consistent with slip along faults related to the south flank detachment fault.”

HVO said while there is no impact to either Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcano, geologists are continuing to monitor for any changes. They added that aftershocks are possible in the coming days to weeks.

USGS’ “Did You Feel It?” page reported more than 300 responses within the first hour.

Some people on Molokai, Oahu and even Kauai reported that they experienced some shaking.

This comes amid a busy week of seismic activity in the area.

In an 8-hour span early Tuesday, about 200 quakes were monitored.

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HONOLULU (KHON2) — An opossum discovered Tuesday in a shipping container was the second live opossum in a month found in Hawaii, raising the concerns about the growing threat of invasive species in our islands.

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KHON2 raised the question, ‘what’s bringing the animal here and what’s being done to prevent them from ending up in Hawaii in the first place?’

“It was relatively small, so it’s probably a juvenile, I think male, so one-and-a-half to two-feet,” said Jonathan Ho, acting manager for the Plant Quarantine Branch at the State Department of Agriculture.

The four-legged stowaway captured Tuesday while small, poses a huge risk to the delicate ecosystem of the islands as omnivores and carriers of parasites.

The opossum was tested for rabies, as was the one caught last month on a window ledge of an office building in downtown Honolulu.

In all, there have been 7 opossums captured in Hawaii since 2005 and they’ve all been in the summer months.

Experts speculate the animals are looking for cooler shelter.

Opossum captured in downtown Honolulu

“Anecdotally it’s hot. They’re basically looking for shelter. Containers are open when these guys are doing their loading or it’s inside a pallet they get placed in and they get a trip to Hawaii,” said Ho.

This discovery highlights a broader issue of the inspection and prevention efforts in Hawaii.

The State has no jurisdiction on inspections outside of the islands, the sole responsibility of capturing these invasive species falls on the State DOAG. The challenge for inspectors are the same as with all State departments: not enough money or resources.

While the department’s general fund was given a significant boost of $19.2 million dollars for combating invasive species this past legislative session, with 4 to 5,000 containers arriving in Hawaii a week, and only around 65 inspectors statewide, the chances of these unwelcomed critters slipping through are real.

A consistant stream of funding is what Ho said would be more effective.

“Just trying to really manage constant pressure when you’re kind of year to year is really not an efficient way to really manage this problem, because it’s not going to stop. We’re going to continually import, you know, opossums or whatever is going to be in containers,” continued Ho.

For now, the Department of Agriculture says education is the easiest solution.

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Anyone spotting an illegal animal should call the statewide pest hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).

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An American soldier has been arrested over the disappearance of his pregnant wife, who vanished last month from the Hawaii base where the couple lives, the US Army announced.

Pfc. Dewayne Arthur “DJ” Johnson II, 28, is in military pretrial confinement at the Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, according to Army officials. Nineteen-year-old Mischa Mabeline Kaalohilani Johnson, who is six months pregnant, was last seen leaving their home on July 31, and reported missing the next day, the Army said.

Johnson, a cavalry scout originally from Frederick, Maryland, enlisted in November 2022 and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in June 2023. He has not yet been charged with a crime. The investigation remains “current and ongoing,” and “no further information is available at this time,” according to the Army. The Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Mischa Johnson’s whereabouts.

On Wednesday, Mischa’s mother pleaded for answers in the ongoing search for her daughter.

“I am asking the Public to please assist me with any information on Dewayne Johnson,” Frances Tapiz-Andrian posted on Facebook. “He No LONGER is Cooperating with the Searching or Locating of my daughter Mischa Johnson and their unborn child. Please Call CID at 8082080059. #BringMischaHome #JusticeforMischa.”

In another post early Wednesday, Tapiz-Andrian, who lives in Honolulu, said investigators were “looking for anyone who was in contact with PFC Johnson anytime between July 12 and August 1.”

Tapiz-Andrian posted screenshots of texts between herself and Johnson, in which Johnson appeared highly concerned about the situation.

“DJ I am so Thankful that you are doing All you can to Find Mischa,” Tapiz-Andrian messaged her son-in-law on August 2. “I called Wahiawa ER and they don’t have any Jane DOE. We will Find her.”

“We need to find her n we will,” Johnson replied, according to the screenshot. “the CID detectives will meet me soon to give me info found in her phone.”

“Mischa will be Found,” Tapiz-Andrian reassured Johnson. “She is Loved and Cared for.”

Two weeks ago, Mischa’s sister Marianna provided an update, posting on social media that her family, along with Johnson and his platoon, had mounted a search the day before.

“No leads,” she wrote.

On August 11, Marianna shared some further thoughts about what was happening.

“I want to note that though my sister has depression, she’s NEVER gone this long without talking to us,” she posted. “… I wish we had updates for you all. But we believe the community will be pivotal in finding her. Thank you all for sharing her picture, sharing her face & story.”

The clothing and footwear Mischa was wearing when she went missing is unknown, and officials said she left her phone, wallet, keys, and Apple watch at home. Police described her as 5’2” and approximately 170 pounds, with a large tattoo on her back of a dragon.

In an update on Tuesday, the Army said, “Our efforts remain focused on locating Mischa, support to her family, and the safety and security of all personnel at US Army Hawaii installations… We encourage anyone who may have information regarding Mischa Johnson to contact CID. Thank you.”