February 24, 1877 Earthquake: Hawaii, United States

Submarine eruption of Mauna Loa. "Boiling water," probable submarine eruption. An underwater eruption occurred 2 km from Kealakekua at about 3:00 A.M. It was accompanied by an earthquake, which was felt along the shores of the bay. A second earthquake was accompanied by a strong underground rumbling. At about the same time, according to Coan (1877), "a tidal or earthquake wave of considerable force was observed on the coast of the Kona District." it is surmised that it was not a tsunami that was observed, but a "boiling" of water over the source of an underwater volcano (Reference #236).

On February 14, there was a strong eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano with the ejection of smoke to a height of 5 km and the effusion of lava. The eruption lasted several days. On the 24th, at about 3:00, an underwater eruption occurred 2 km from Keealakekua. It was accompanied by an earthquake, which was felt along the shores of the bay. The water was illuminated with a varying red, dove-blue, then green light. Large chunks of hot lava floated onto the surface. A crack arose between the site of the underwater eruption and the top of the Mauna Loa volcano. The crack extended inland 5 1/2 km. In the second half of the day, strong earthquake occurred, which affected many islands of the archipelago and was accompanied by a strong underground rumbling. At approximately the same time, according to Coan, tidal waves were observed on the shore of Kona district (Reference #415).