June 15, 1966 Tsunami: Solomon Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake began at Solomon Islands on June 15, 1966 at 00:59:42 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places.
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
- June 15, 1966, 00:59:42 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.1, 31 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.2 m (0.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 10.343° S, 160.883° 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:
1966, June 15, 12:00 [local time]. Validity 3. There was an earthquake which was felt on the islands of Guadalcanal, Malaita and San Cristobal. A weak tsunami was observed at different places on the islands of Guadalcanal and San Cristobal. A tsunami was observed at 01h35m with a maximal height of 20 cm at Point Cruz, Honiara. [15.VI; Oh5946s; 10.3 S., 160.8 E.; 31 km; M=7.6.]
Reference #2666:
1966, June 15, 00:59:46 UTC. 10.4 S, 160.8 E, depth 31 km, magnitude 7.2.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalcanal | Solomon Islands | 61 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Point Cruz (Honiara) | Solomon Islands | 143 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| San Cristobal Island | Solomon Islands | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1966The 1900sTsunamis of Solomon IslandsThe 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 1981.