May 1942 Tsunami: New Caledonia
A tsunami of unknown cause began at New Caledonia in May 1942. The water rose as high as 3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 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
- May 1942
- Source
- New Caledonia
- Cause
- Unknown
- Maximum water height
- 3 m (9.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 20.600° S, 165.000° 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.
Between May and July 1942 or between May and July 1943, unspecified date.
Near the area called Kade We, towards Poigni, 2 km upstream of the village on the La Hienghene river, a witness confirms that one sunny day during the harvesting and loading of mandarin oranges, a weekday in the morning, a vibration followed by a lapping of water succeeded a large wave going up the river. The wave passed over the coffee plantations on the island until it reached the riverbank of Garamba, 3.7 km from the village. The flooded banks were covered with fish. One can estimate the height of the wave to be 3 m, if not more, if the aforementioned plantations were the Robusta plantations (estimated runup: 2.5 m). Taking into consideration the season for mandarin oranges, one can assume that the event most likely occurred between May and July 1942 or 1943.
No link could be made between these time periods and any earthquake, but the phenomenon seems to be linked to a local quake and/or landslide.
(all above from reference #8975)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kade We | New Caledonia | 13 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Ile des Pins | New Caledonia | 345 | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1942The 1900sTsunamis of New CaledoniaAlerts 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 5709.