January 19, 1922 Tsunami: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake began at Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea on January 19, 1922 at 21:58:58 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.8 meters. 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 19, 1922, 21:58:58 UTC
- Source
- Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.9, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1.8 m (5.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 7.111° S, 143.530° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 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.
January 20, 1922, Remarks: Parumi, native mission teacher at Sumai, reported first shock ("about 8 in the morning")
to have been the worst at that place. It shook the houses of the village and broke some of the coconut trees. One big wave came right into the village and then receded. The wave was about six feet high. Some of the people (natives) were "going mad". Natives ran inland from their houses afraid of the tide coming in. Women and children were crying. One house fell down. There were two small shocks after dinner (midday). The people again left their houses. "About 5 p.m." there was a bad shock. The men lay down on the ground; some canoes were filled with water and sank. The people were terrified. The roofs of some of the houses were broken by this or preceding shocks. This man thought that the shocks came from the north. (reference #99)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumai | Papua New Guinea | 156 | 1.8 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1922The 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 1495.