No Tsunami Threat to Hawaiʻi After 8.2 Sea of Okhotsk Earthquake

Sea of Okhotsk earthquake, 7:45 p.m. HST May 23, 2013. Map imagery courtesy USGS/ powered by Leaflet.

By Wendy Osher

(Update: 5:15 a.m. 5/24/13)

There is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake located in the Sea of Okhotsk at 4:57 a.m. HST on Fri. May 24, 2013. This follows a much larger 8.2 earthquake reported in the same region last night at 7:45 p.m. HST on Thurs., May 23, 2013. Again, there is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi.

(Posted: 5/23/13)

A statement from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says there is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi after an 8.2 preliminary magnitude earthquake in the Sea of Okhotsk reported at 7:45 p.m. HST 5/23/13.

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake was 222 miles WSW of Esso, Russia; and 1472 mi NNE of Tokyo, Japan.  The agency reports that the depth of the quake was 601 km.

This follows two large earthquakes reported earlier today near Tonga–one at 7:19 a.m. HST that measured 7.4 in magnitude and located 174 miles SW of Vaini, Tonga; and another at 11:08 a.m. HST that measured 6.5 in magnitude and located 30 miles NNW of Nuku`alofa, Tonga.

None of the incidents resulted in a tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi.

The County of Maui recently updated its tsunami evacuation maps that include expanded evacuation areas in Kahului, Kīhei, and Lahaina.  The agency also produced maps for Kahakuloa Village and the East Maui community of Keʻanae which had not previously been mapped, according to county officials.