HONOLULU — A magnitude-4.9 earthquake struck a submerged volcano south of Hawaii’s Big Island on Friday.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the temblor hit at 1:32 a.m. about 26 miles southeast of Naalehu, at a depth of 7.5 miles.
There were no immediate reports of any damage.
The submerged volcano was long been called Loihi, but has since been renamed Kama‘ehuakanaloa.
Ka Wai Ola, the newspaper of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, reported that Hawaii Board on Geographic Names voted unanimously in July to change the name.
Cultural practitioners proposed the renaming after noting use of “Kama‘ehu a Kanaloa” in Hawaiian language newspapers from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
“Kama‘ehu a Kanaloa” refers to any undersea volcano — a child born in Kanaloa, the ocean — the newspaper said, citing Ku‘ulei Kanahele of the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation.