October 19, 1949 Tsunami: Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea on October 19, 1949 at 21:00:19 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places in at least 2 countries.
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
- October 19, 1949, 21:00:19 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 60 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 5.500° S, 154.000° 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.
Reference #414:
1949, October 19, 21:00:19 UTC, validity 4, 5.5 S, 154 E, depth 60 km, magnitude 7.25 (G&R). A tsunami generated by an earthquake was registered on two tide gauges. At Rabaul, the maximum range of the oscillations was about 0.6 m (2 feet). A very small wave about 3 m (0.1 foot) in height was registered at Dreger Harbor (New Guinea).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabaul, New Britain | Papua New Guinea | 247 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 19, 21:37 | ||
| Dreger Harbor | Papua New Guinea | 691 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Port Allen, Kauai, HI, HI | United States | 5,898 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 6,032 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 6,236 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1949The 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 1799.