October 7, 1958 Tsunami: Kuwae Volcano, Vanuatu
A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Kuwae Volcano, Vanuatu on October 7, 1958 at 10:00 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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 7, 1958, 10:00 UTC
- Source
- Kuwae Volcano, Vanuatu
- Cause
- Volcano
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 16.829° S, 168.536° 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:
1958, October 7, 21:00 (10h), validity 1. The residents of Epi Island noted unusual waves at sea to the southeast of the island. The waves seemed to come from an underwater volcanic eruption. An airplane survey of the region showed spots and streams of unusual color as well as a center of churning water (Anon., 1958).
Reference #13893:
7 October 1958 (LT) east Epi Unusual waves reported by locals on the south-east of Epi Island seemed to be caused by an underwater volcanic eruption (Soloviev and Go, 1974). An aeroplane survey of the region by the French naval aviation on 7 October 1958 around 10:00 LT revealed spots and streams of discoloured water from the so-called “Epi B” underwater volcano, as well as bubbling of water above the submarine Karua volcano located on the Kuwae caldera (sketch of de Brossard, 1958, in Eissen et al., 1991). Further aircraft surveys on 18 November (Lt. Valette) and 16 December (Roland Priam) reported the same manifestations but with less intensity (Eissen et al., 1991).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epi Island | Vanuatu | 30 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1958The 1900sTsunamis of VanuatuThe eruptionThis 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 1882.