An earthquake on April 2 , 1868 , rocked the southeast coast of Hawaii with a magnitude estimated between 7.25 and 7.75 . It triggered a landslide on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano , five miles ( 8 km ) north of Pahala , killing 31 people . A tsunami claimed 46 additional lives . The villages of Punaluu , Ninole , Kawaa , Honuapo , and Keauhou Landing were severely damaged . According to one account , the tsunami " rolled in over the tops of the coconut trees , probably 60 feet ( 20 m ) high ... inland a distance of a quarter of a mile in some places , taking out to sea when it returned , houses , men , women , and almost everything movable . " A similar earthquake occurred November 29 , 1975 , with a magnitude of 7.2 . A 40-mile ( 60 km ) wide section of the Hilina Slump slid 11 feet ( 3 m ) into the ocean , widening the crack by 26 ft ( 8 m ) . This movement also caused a tsunami that reached a maximum height of at Keauhou Landing . Oceanfront properties were washed off their foundations in Punaluu . Two deaths were reported at Halape , and 19 other persons were injured . The shoreline at Keauhou Bay was dramatically altered
earthquake on April 2 , 1868
1868 Hawaii earthquake
Hilina Slump