Breaking: Hawaii Earthquake Links

A magnitude 6.6 strike-slip earthquake hit about 15 km (10 miles) north-northwest of the Big Island of Hawaii at 7:07 AM local time. The estimated hypocentral depth of the quake is 38.9 km (24.2 miles). That's VERY deep considering that the thickness of the oceanic crust is not more than 10 km, though it's thicker near the islands. The picture at right by konaboy shows the dust cloud that followed a large rockfall at Kealakekua Bay a few minutes after the quake. The fact that the fault motion was strike-slip explains why there wasn't a tsunami despite the large magnitude of the mainshock. But a strike-slip focal mechanism doesn't seem to make sense for this area since there aren't any obvious lateral faults - unless old transform faults count. Anyone have an idea about what caused the quake?

Flickr Photos of the Hawaii Earthquake

US Geological Survey Earthquake Information on the Hawaii Earthquake

USGS Earthquake map for Hawaii

Strike-Slip NEIC Moment Tensor Solution for the Hawaii Earthquake

Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and Information Statement