October 10, 1977 Tsunami: Tonga Trench
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake began at Tonga Trench on October 10, 1977 at 11:53:53 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.03 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places in at least 2 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
- October 10, 1977, 11:53:53 UTC
- Source
- Tonga Trench
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.2, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.03 m (0.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 25.856° S, 175.406° 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.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake near Tonga Island caused a weak tsunami which was recorded on the Fiji and Samoan Islands. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suva, King'S Wharf | Fiji | 1,066 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 10, 14:07 | ||
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS | US Territories | 1,373 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 10, 12:48 |
More
Every tsunami in 1977The 1900sTsunamis of TongaThe 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 2095.