6.6 Earthquake Hits Hawaii

Posted on October 15, 2006

Hawaii has been hit with a 6.6 mag earthquake. You can see the location here on the USGS website and here on the IRIS Seismic Monitor website. The USGS is calling this a 6.3 despite reports that the earthquake was a 6.5. There was also a second earthquake that registered at 5.8. MSNBC.com reports that the quake hit at 7.07 local time near the west coast of the Big Island.

The quake hit at 7:07 a.m. local time, 10 miles north-northwest of Kailua Kona, a town on the west coast of the Big Island, said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Pacific Tsunami Center reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, while the U.S. Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.3. It was followed by several strong aftershocks, including one measuring a magnitude of 5.8, the Geological Survey said.

Update: Now a 6.6 according to a new USGS report.

EARTH