February 4, 1878 Tsunami: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea on February 4, 1878. Its effects were recorded at 2 places. It killed 1 person, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- February 4, 1878
- Source
- Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 4.250° S, 152.250° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 1 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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:
1878, February, on the night of the 3rd-4th, validity 2. There was a very strong earthquake (4.25 S, 152.25 E) along the coast of Blanche Bay, including at Rabaul. It was barely felt on the Duke of York Islands (30 km east of Rabaul). The earthquake was accompanied by two tsunami waves, which washed out a large section of the coast of Matupi Island (according to other sources, the earthquake occurred two days before the tsunami).
Soon after the earthquake, clouds of steam could be seen rising out of the water along the line joining the Raluan Volcano and the Tawurwur (Ghaie) Volcano. An hour later, the old crater of the Ghaie Volcano exploded with "terrible force." Flames and enormous masses of smoke and ashes were ejected. There were apparently no lava flows. A thick layer of ash and pumice covered the coast and Saint George's Channel. At Ghaie, a new cone was formed. At the site of the underwater eruption, a cone-shaped, but rather flat elevation 20 m high formed out of loose material. This later became Raluan (Baluan) Island. The eruption of the Raluan Volcano lasted three days, during which time total darkness reigned; fishes and turtles died. The eruption of the Ghaie Volcano lasted three weeks. Due to the prevailing northwest winds, the ejecta settled mainly in the sea, and on land only the regions immediately adjoining the volcanoes suffered. Blanche Bay and Saint George's Channel were plugged up with islands of floating pumice for a month.
Reference #99:
1878, February 4. The eruption of 1878 is well described by both Dr. George Brown and Dr. Wilfred Powell. Dr. Brown writes that it was reported to him on the 30th January that the old volcano in Blanche was in eruption. On the other hand, in his description he says that on Sunday night, the 3rd February, very violent earthquakes were felt, followed by tidal waves on the Monday morning. Soon afterwards, clouds of steam were seen rising from the bay in a direct line between Tavurvur and Vulcan, and as the submarine crater increased in strength, these steam clouds ceased and the old crater burst out with terrific power.
Reference #79:
1878, February. Eruption at Ruluan volcano.
Reference #2339 attributes tsunami to eruption of Rabaul
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matupi Island, New Britain | Papua New Guinea | 7 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Rabaul, New Britain doubtful | Papua New Guinea | 8 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1878The 1800sTsunamis of Papua New GuineaThe earthquakeThe eruptionThis 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 1095.