Hawaii earthquake shakes but no tsunami
Hawaii earthquake: A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck off the coast of the Big Island, causing no serious damage or injuries. But are more earthquakes coming as a new island forms?
Pahala, Hawaii
The U.S. Geological Survey is revising the magnitude of an earthquake off the southeast coast of Hawaii to 5.3.
Tuesday afternoon's earthquake was centered about 34 miles (55 kilometers) southeast of Pahala on the Big Island, at a depth of about 25 miles (40 kilometers). Officials say it did not expected to generate a tsunami.
“The earth is very sound down there there’s not a lot of cracks, therefore waves travel very efficiently through the material,” USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Seismic Network manager, Wes Thele told KHON2.com.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira says there are no immediate reports of damage.
The USGS reported earlier that the quake's magnitude was 5.6.
People as far away as Maui and Oahu reported weak shaking to the USGS. The Oahu Department of Emergency Management says some areas may have experienced strong shaking.
Kevin Dayton, the executive assistant to the mayor, says he felt a large jolt in the county building in Hilo.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.