Story highlights Magnitude 7.8 quake hit off the South Pacific island chain Friday morning

Quake "one of the biggest and longest I have ever felt," resident of capital says

(CNN) A magnitude-7.8 earthquake hit close to the Solomon Islands early Friday, forecasters said.

The earthquake hit less than 30 kilometers (19 miles) off the island of Makira -- and 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of the island's city of Kirakira -- about 4:38 a.m. local time Friday (12:38 p.m. ET Thursday), the US Geological Survey said.

A number of tsunami warnings issued not long after the quake have been canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

The largest observed wave, according to sea level gauges, was only 0.12 meters (5 inches) near Honiara on the island of Guadalcanal, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of the epicenter

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In an area where temblors are common, "the earthquake was one of the biggest and longest I have ever felt," said Tali Hong, a resident of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. "I was born here in Honiara and lived here most of my life.

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