January 1, 1916 Earthquake: Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea on January 1, 1916 at 13:20:49 UTC, 35 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- January 1, 1916
- Time
- 13:20:49 UTC
- Place
- Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
- Magnitude
- 7.9 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 35 km (22 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 4.739° S, 152.548° E
- Country
- Papua New Guinea
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #414:
1916, January 1 (mistakenly December), 23:28 [local time .4 S 154 E, magnitude 7.75 (G&R). There was a very strong earthquake at Rabaul. It was accompanied by several recurrent shocks. Homes were shifted from place, cisterns rolled and cracks appeared in the ground. The dike connecting Matupi Island with the Gazelle Peninsula subsided 1.8-4.5 m and was completely hidden under water. Several homes collapsed in the region of Toma. The water level in Rabaul Harbor fell 4 1/2 m in a few seconds. Then it rose again with "terrifying" speed. The small steamship "Siar" was tossed by the wave from Rabaul Harbor to Matupi Harbor.
Reference #1002:
1916, January 1. New Ireland, magnitude 7.9.
Reference #9910:
1916, January 1, 13:20:36 UTC. 4 S, 154 E, 7.7 Mw P&S, 7.8 Ms AN1, 7.4 mB ABE1, 7.8 UK G&R, 7.9 UK PAS.
Reference #10476:
1916, January 01, 13:20:49.25 UTC. 4.739 S, 152.548 E, depth 35 km, 7.89 Mw.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 28, 1937, Keravia, Rabaul, Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
- December 22, 1983, Ulawun, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
- January 13, 1941, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- July 14, 1971, Bougainville, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- November 16, 2000, New Ireland, Duke of York, Papua New Guinea
- March 10, 1989, Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- February 4, 1878, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- May 10, 1985, Bialla, Piona, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- March 29, 2015, Papua New Guinea
- June 22, 1768, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- August 13, 1967, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- July 3, 1985, Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- April 23, 1953, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
- October 10, 1955, Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- February 25, 1910, Matupi Harbor, Papua New Guinea
More
Significant earthquakes of 1916The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1916Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 3043.