November 17, 1964 Tsunami: New Britain, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake began at New Britain, Papua New Guinea on November 17, 1964 at 08:15:39 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.05 meters. 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
- November 17, 1964, 08:15:39 UTC
- Source
- New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.6, 45 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.05 m (0.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 5.700° S, 150.700° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) 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.
1964, November 17., 08:15:39 UTC, 5.7 S, 150.7 E, depth 45 km, magnitude 7.2 MS. Tsunami at Rabaul, New Britain. (reference #2666)
A small seismic sea wave generated by the earthquake on the 17th was recorded on the Rabaul
tide gauge with a wave height of two inches. (reference #99)
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 | 232 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1964The 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 1961.