July 18, 1934 Tsunami: Solomon Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake began at Solomon Islands on July 18, 1934 at 19:40:24 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.65 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 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
- July 18, 1934, 19:40:24 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.8, 35 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.65 m (2.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 11.907° S, 166.731° 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.
Reference #414:
1934, July 18, 19:40:15 UTC [July 19 local time]. Validity likely [Incorrectly labeled in Table of Soloviev as 1934 VII 10]. An earthquake with source off the New Hebrides generated a tsunami which was observed at New Caledonia. Strong flood tides were recorded between 8:00 and 14:00 [local time] in Hienghene Bay on the 19th. The phenomenon recurred about 20 times. The sea would rise, then retreat to the usual ebb tide level in almost 10 whole minutes. In Touho Bay, similar floods and ebbs were registered from 8:00 to l4:00 [local time]. Similar oscillations were observed at Poindime between 19:00 and 20:00 [local time]. The range of tidal oscillations at New Caledonia was from 1.2 to 1.3 m. The weather was good during these observations; the wind blew from the southeast with a force of 4 degrees. No such reports were received from the west coast. Gutenberg, Richter (1954): 18.VII; 19h40m15S; 11.75 S., 166.5 E.; M=8.2.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hienghene Bay | New Caledonia | 990 | 0.65 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Touho Bay | New Caledonia | 995 | 0.65 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Poindimie | New Caledonia | 1,010 | 0.65 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1934The 1900sTsunamis of Solomon IslandsThe 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 1673.