May 4, 1877 Tsunami: Hawaii, United States
A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Hawaii, United States on May 4, 1877. 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 4, 1877
- Source
- Hawaii, United States
- Cause
- Volcano
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 19.475° N, 155.608° W
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.
1877, May 4. A strong earthquake at 8:00 p.m. in the region of Mauna Loa volcano was accompanied by a renewal of the large eruption currently in progress and followed by a large tsunami. Cox and Morgan (1977) did not find any mention of an earthquake or tsunami in contemporary Honolulu newspapers and consider this report to be erroneous. (reference #237)
1877, May 4, 20:00. Validity questionable. There was a very strong earthquake in the region of Mauna Loa volcano with a renewal of the large eruption, followed by a large tsunami (Fuchs, 1885 b). (reference #415)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii Island, HI, HI doubtful | United States | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1877The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThis 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 1072.