August 2, 1969 Tsunami: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 5.4 earthquake and a landslide began at Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea on August 2, 1969 at 04:30:29 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
- August 2, 1969, 04:30:29 UTC
- Source
- Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 5.4, 17 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 6.600° S, 146.900° 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.
Small tidal waves were produced by crust shifting along the Lae coast. (reference #417)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lae | Papua New Guinea | 18 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1969The 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 2014.