August 1915 Tsunami: Huon Gulf, Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Huon Gulf, Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea in August 1915.
Where the waves reached
The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.
- 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
- August 1915
- Source
- Huon Gulf, Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
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.
1915, August. Salamaua, New Guinea. Remarks from Pacific islands Monthly, July 1938: Writing to Melbourne Argus on June 27, Mr.C. H. Nelson of St. Kilda, said it was inexplicable to him that Mr. Hughes should recommend Salamaua as the new capital site for the Mandated territory. Had Mr. Hughes seen the effects of the extensive earthquake disturbances in August, 1915, around the Huon Gulf, and especially at Salamaua, he would not have been so anxious to accept interested local opinions. Salamaua was then a primitive native village, but the tidal effects wiped out nearly the whole locality, and what happened 23 years ago could happen again today, with even worse results than the Rabaul disaster. "There is no harbour, limited building space, and a dangerous surf coast, with almost no shelter", says Mr. Nelson.
This is probably the 11 Oct. 1913 event
(reference #99)
More
Every tsunami in 1915The 1900sTsunamis of Papua New GuineaAlerts 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 1425.