A strong earthquake off the coast of Chile did not generate a Pacific-wide tsunami, officials said early this morning.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8, struck just before midnight in Hawaii off the coast of Chile at a depth of about 6.2 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake did not generate a Pacific-wide tsunami and poses no threat to Hawaii, but earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts  within 100 kilometers of the epicenter, officials said.