Tsunami Waves Hit U.S.—Some Damage in Hawaii, California
The deadly earthquake that struck Japan Friday sent a tsunami racing across the Pacific Ocean, reaching Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, and California.
In Japan the magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m., local time, along a segment of the undersea Japan Trench northeast of Tokyo, where the Pacific Ocean seabed dives under the Eurasian tectonic plate.
It's the fifth largest earthquake to be recorded anywhere in the world since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (Get tsunami facts.)
Hours after the earthquake in Japan, the first tsunami waves struck Hawaii, where peak heights of between 7 and 11 feet (2 and 3 meters) have been reported on Maui and the Big Island. One hotel near Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island reported water in its lobby, according to the Associated Press, but overall damage was minimal.
On the U.S. mainland, the tsunami had
