May 10, 1875 Tsunami: Vanuatu Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Vanuatu Islands on May 10, 1875. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- May 10, 1875
- Source
- Vanuatu Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 18.500° S, 168.000° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #414:
1875, May 10, validity 2. On Eromanga Island, following the earthquake, there were waves on the coast, which rolled stones back and forth.
Reference #79
1875, May 10. New Hebrides. Eromango Island. Waves following quake rolled large stones up beach. May be same tsunami as March 28.
Note: Reference #13893 lists an observation on Erromango as part of the March 1875 event(s). This May event is likely same tsunami as March 1875.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erromango Island | Vanuatu | 118 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1875The 1800sTsunamis of VanuatuThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 1063.