February 25, 1936 Tsunami: Nauru (Naoero), Ocean Isl

Name: February 25, 1936 Tsunami: Nauru (Naoero), Ocean Isl
Start: 1936-02-25
Location: Nauru (Naoero), Ocean Isl

February 25, 1936 · Very doubtful tsunami

A tsunami of unknown cause began at Nauru (Naoero), Ocean Isl on February 25, 1936. 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

Tsunami warnings in force

Travel times

How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.

The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.

1 to 4 hours
5 to 6 hours
7 to 14 hours
15 hours and more

Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.

The tsunami

Date: February 25, 1936
Source: Nauru (Naoero), Ocean Isl
Cause: Unknown
Runups recorded: 1
Waters: Ocean
How certain: Very doubtful tsunami
Source location: 0.500° S, 166.900° 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.

Tidal Waves at Nauru - Huts Washed Into Sea. Sydney, April 29.--Advice has been received in Sydney of damage caused by tidal waves in the harbour of Nauru, Ocean Island. A member of the staff of the British Phosphate Commission, writing to a friend says:--"Our last inward mail arrived on February 26, several days late as the Elmbank was delayed by a terrific cyclone. When she did arrive at Nauru the mail could not be landed as, although the sea had calmed down and was like a mill pond, a most extraordinary series of tidal waves suddenly developed. One particularly high wave completely filled the boat harbour and sunk a launch and cargo lighter and ran inshore for about 150 yards further than any wave has been for more years. The tidal waves washed a lot of cook houses from Chinatown into the ocean. We suppose that the tidal disturbance was caused by some submarine movement of the ocean bed." (reference #9035)

Note: Nauru changed name to Republic of Naoero in 2026

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
Nauru	Nauru	4			Eyewitness observation of water height

Every tsunami in 1936 The 1900s Tsunamis of Nauru This day in weather history Alerts 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 5362.