"Estimating the depth of the wave's water column to be around four kilometers on average, Roger Bilham, a professor of geological sciences at the University of Colorado, calculated that at mid-ocean, the mass of water would be hurtling toward Hawaii at 200 meters per second, or 720 kilometers per hour (446 mph).
"Mid-ocean, the wave is travelling at around the speed of a jet plane," Mr Bilham said.
"The amplitude of the wave is small when it's mid-ocean, but it may rise to five to 10 meters when it reaches Japan or the Philippines," he said.
