A large earthquake struck about 39 miles south-southwest of Vanuatu in the South Pacific but did not generate a Pacific-wide tsunami that would threaten Hawaii, officials said today.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8, struck at 9:28 a.m. Saturday near the epicenter (12:28 p.m. today in Hawaii) and was centered about 129 miles deep beneath the ocean floor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach issued a bulletin saying that there was no threat of a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami.