October 22, 1951 Tsunami: Taiwan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake began at Taiwan on October 22, 1951 at 05:43:01 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 3 countries. It killed 68 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
- October 22, 1951, 05:43:01 UTC
- Source
- Taiwan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3, 21 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 23.800° N, 121.700° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 68 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 586 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 2,382 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.
A series of shocks on Oct 21-11, 1951, killed 123 and injured 800, caused destruction in Hualien and minor damage in Hsinkang.
Tsunamis were recorded on tide gauges from the Oct 22, 05:43 UTC shock at Tofino, Vancouver Island, Canada, (reference #2604) and at Hualienkang, Japan (reference #150).
Hualien offshore (23.8N, 121.7E) earthquake of Ms 7.3 triggered tsunami; Hualien tide gauge had tsunami record with wave height of dozens of centimeters. (Xu, 1981). (reference #12988)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hualien | Taiwan | 21 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Fort Denison, Sydney Harbor doubtful | Australia | 7,105 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Tofino (Clayoquot),british Columbia, BC | Canada | 9,532 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 21:45 |
More
Every tsunami in 1951The 1900sTsunamis of TaiwanThe 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 3310.