May 12, 1938 Tsunami: Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea on May 12, 1938 at 15:38:57 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
- May 12, 1938, 15:38:57 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 6.000° S, 147.800° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
May 13, 1938, early a.m. The whole of the north-eastern section of the New Guinea mainland was shaken by a severe earthquake early on Friday morning, May 13. The Morobe district suffered most of the shock. Small tidal waves inundated the northern end of Salamaua and the bulk stores of Burns Philp and Co., Ltd., W.R. Carpenter and Co. Ltd., N.G. Goldfields Ltd., and Vacuum Oil Co., Ltd., suffered considerable damage. Numerous native houses collapsed and the natives fled in terror to the higher ground. Flood waters for a time cut off Salamaua from the Aerodrome. There was much minor damage, including the dislocation of telephone services. Numerous drums of petrol were swept by the tidal waves from the waterfront stores intot he swamp. Boats and launches were stranded. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salamaua, Bismarck Sea | Papua New Guinea | 143 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1938The 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 1708.