December 26, 1975 Tsunami: Samoa Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake began at Samoa Islands on December 26, 1975 at 15:56:38 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.38 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 3 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
- December 26, 1975, 15:56:38 UTC
- Source
- Samoa Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.8, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.38 m (1.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 16.265° S, 172.467° 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.
1975. December 26. 15:57. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake. about 120 km south of Samoa at the northern end of the Tonga-Fiji arc generated a minor tsunami in the Samoa Islands. A 0.38 m tsunami was recorded at Pago Pago. and, a 0.08 m tsunami was
recorded at Apia. The tsunami did not cause damage. (reference #236)
Local tsunami (75 cm) at Pago Pago, (15 cm) at Apia and (8 cm) at Suva. (reference #1053)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apia, Upolu Island | Samoa | 280 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS | US Territories | 291 | 0.38 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Suva, King'S Wharf | Fiji | 991 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1975The 1900sTsunamis of SamoaThe 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 2081.