The eruption of Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, began on November 27 after remaining quiet for nearly 40 years.

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Seismologists believe a recent increase in earthquake activity off the coast of Hawaii's Big Island is likely related to the movement of magma beneath an underwater volcano, but even if an eruption is imminent it would not have a major impact on the archipelago.

According to the United States Geological Survey, dozens of earthquakes were detected around Kamaʻehuakanaloa, with at least two of them exceeding magnitude 4.0.

The underwater volcano is located about 30 miles southeast of the Big Island – far enough away that the swarm of earthquakes was barely felt.

The agency says previous swarms around the volcano have resulted in thousands of quakes but have not resulted in eruptions that have affected the islands.

“Elevated seismicity continues to occur in Kamaʻehuakanaloa, but is not expected to impact other volcanoes or infrastructure on Hawaii Island. The source of the earthquakes is currently difficult to determine, but may be related to the movement of magma beneath Kamaʻehuakanaloa “Previous swarms associated with likely eruptions at the volcano consisted of thousands of earthquakes over days to weeks. Eruptive activity at this volcano would have no impact on Hawaii Island residents,” the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.

Map of recent earthquakes around Hawaii

(USGS/FOX Weather)

WATCH: THE KILAUEA VOLCANO Eruption IN HAWAII SHOWS THE RAW POWER OF MOTHER NATURE

The name “Kamaʻehuakanaloa” was changed from “Lōʻihi” by the Hawaii Board on Geographic Names in 2021 to preserve indigenous Hawaiian language and traditions.

The name roughly translates to “child of the deep ocean,” reflecting the mountain’s status off the coast of Hawaii.

Kamaʻehuakanaloa is a shield volcano similar to the Big Island's more notorious Kīlauea and Mauna Loa mountains.

The underwater volcano rises about 10,200 feet above the ocean floor, according to the USGS, but even at its highest peak it is still several thousand feet below the ocean's surface.

The volcano's last known eruption occurred in 1996, with only about a handful of episodes in the last 150 years.

4 CLASSIC TYPES OF VOLCANOES

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said it was closely monitoring the situation but had not issued any heightened alerts.

Kilauea is currently the most volcanic on the islands, and steam occasionally rises from a lava flow field, but the observatory says the mountain is not actively erupting.