July 23, 1978 Tsunami: Taiwan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake began at Taiwan on July 23, 1978 at 14:42:36 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
- July 23, 1978, 14:42:36 UTC
- Source
- Taiwan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.4, 17 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.05 m (0.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -3.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 22.282° N, 121.512° 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.
1978, July 23, 23:42 local time, 22.5 N, 122.8 E, magnitude 7.1. Ishigaki Is. 10cm (peak to trough). (reference #150)
1978, July 30, 23:42 local time, 22 deg 28 min N, 121 deg 51 min E, magnitude 7.4, depth 17 km. (reference #3785)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ishigakiko | Japan | 354 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1978The 1900sTsunamis of TaiwanThe 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 2108.