May 6, 1919 Tsunami: Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake began at Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea on May 6, 1919 at 19:41:13 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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 6, 1919, 19:41:13 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.2, 35 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 2.6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 4.806° S, 153.859° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) 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:
1919, May 6, 19:41:12 UTC, validity 3. 5 S, 154 E, magnitude 7.9 (G&R). There was an earthquake and tsunami at Rabaul. The first shock occurred at 5:50 [local time] and preceded a stronger prolonged earthquake (or series of shocks). After the earthquake, the water at the pier at Rabaul fell 2-2.5 m and rose again quickly. Thousands of fish were left on shore above the high high tide mark. A noticeable tsunami was observed at Kokopo, where the vessel "Nuza" was forced to hurry to open sea to avoid running aground. The waves lifted up and ran a large whaler against the moorage and then retreated so far that the bottom of the harbor was completely dry for some time.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kokopo, New Britain | Papua New Guinea | 184 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Rabaul, New Britain | Papua New Guinea | 197 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1919The 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 1474.