January 1, 1916 Tsunami: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake began at Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea on January 1, 1916 at 13:20:49 UTC. 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
- January 1, 1916, 13:20:49 UTC
- Source
- Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.9, 35 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 4.739° S, 152.548° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) 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:
1916, January 1 (mistakenly December), 23:28 [local time], validity 3. 4 S 154 E, magnitude 7.75 (G&R). There was a very strong earthquake at Rabaul. The dike connecting Matupi Island with the Gazelle Peninsula subsided 1.8-4.5 m and was completely hidden under water. 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 #99:
1916, January 1. The water in Rabaul Harbor fell 15 feet in a few moments and rose again with tremendous rapidity. The small steamer Siar was lifted bodily from Rabaul to Matupi Harbour across the place where the strongly build causeway had existed previously. The causeway entirely disappeared leaving a depth of 15 feet.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabaul, New Britain | Papua New Guinea | 70 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1916The 1900sTsunamis of Papua New GuineaThe 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 1432.