January 30, 1939 Tsunami: Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea on January 30, 1939 at 02:18:30 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 5 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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 30, 1939, 02:18:30 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7, 35 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.9
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 7.080° S, 155.386° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 5 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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.
Reference #414:
1939, January 30, 02:18:27 UTC [12:18 local time]. Validity 2. There was a strong earthquake on Bougainville Island, Solomon islands. After the earthquake, a tsunami was observed on the Solomon Islands. At Kokopo, at 17:30 on the 31st, the sea retreated beyond the usual ebb tideline, and then quickly rose almost to the flood tide line. This occurred three times, at intervals of about 20 minutes. Unusually high flood tides occurred on February 2 and 3. Gutenberg, Richter (1954): 30.1; 2h18m27s; 6.5 S., 155.5 E.; M=7.8.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faisi, Shortland Island | Solomon Islands | 53 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Arigua, Bougainville Island | Papua New Guinea | 127 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Kokopo, New Britain | Papua New Guinea | 459 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1939The 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 1730.