December 12, 1934 Tsunami: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea on December 12, 1934 at 14:15 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
- December 12, 1934, 14:15 UTC
- Source
- Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 4.200° S, 152.200° E
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.
1934, December 13, 00:15 [local time]. Rabaul, New Britain. Remarks from Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1934: Early on Wednesday morning, December 13, Rabaul was visited by a severe tremor. The time of the shock was 12:15 am. The first tremor was of an up-and-down nature and was followed later by spasmodic shakes from various directions. Landslides occurred on the various main roads and a small tidal wave was reported from Nondup Nodup. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nodup | Papua New Guinea | 0 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1934The 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 1677.