March 17, 1952 Tsunami: Hawaii, United States
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 4.5 earthquake began at Hawaii, United States on March 17, 1952 at 03:58:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 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
- March 17, 1952, 03:58:00 UTC
- Source
- Hawaii, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 4.5, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 3 m (9.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 19.100° N, 155.000° W
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.
A small tsunami occurred at Kalapana. At approximately 18:00 waves swept inland about 600 feet, entering the yard of the Kalapana School. " There was no record at the tide gauge at Hilo. A tsunami warning was issued. (Reference #3925)
A strong shock on March 17 at 17:58 local time, felt at Naalehu, caused a small tsunami. At Kalapana, about at 18:00 local time, the water passed 180 m inland (600 feet) and reached the school yard. No damage at all was done, but it was decided to announce a tsunami alarm. The tide gauge at Hilo did not register any waves (Reference #415).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalapana, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 28 | 3 | 180 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS | US Territories | 4,073 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1952The 1900sTsunamis of United StatesThe 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 1819.