HILO — The Big Island was jolted by 5.1-magnitude earthquake around 12:45 p.m. today, the largest in the state so far this year.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no tsunami was generated, and county civil defense officials said there were no immediate reports of damage.

One Hilo resident described the quake as "sharp" but of short duration.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was generated 6.3 miles underground and was centered 8 miles south of Volcano, or 27 miles southwest of Hilo and 218 miles southeast of Honolulu.

Jim Kauahikaua, scientist in charge of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory located within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, said earthquakes are a regular event in the area where the latest one occurred.

"This was typical for the south flank of Kilauea," he said. "We have these all the time."

Kauahikaua said he didn't even feel the quake. "I missed it. I must have been walking around," he said.

The event was likely caused by slippage of the volcano's south flank, he said.

The Big Island had at least 20 small to moderate earthquakes in March, ranging in magnitude from 1.7 to 4.0.

On March 9, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake off the Hamakua Coast was felt as far away as O'ahu but did not cause any damage, according to the Hawai'i County Civil Defense Agency.

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said that earthquake resulted from "internal adjustments" within the Earth's crust near Mauna Kea and most likely was not associated with the movement of magma or eruptive processes.

Over the past 40 years, the Hamakua Coast has experienced about one magnitude 3.5 or larger earthquake per year.

Two days later, on March 11, a 3.0 magnitude earthquake rumbled across the Big Island at 2:19 a.m. The epicenter was about 10 miles north-northwest of Naalehu.