May 12, 1980 Tsunami: Vanuatu Islands

A Mw 6.1 earthquake, located east of Mere Lava Island (Banks Islands group) and felt with an intensity of V–VI on the island, caused a small tsunami corroborated by the stranding of fish on the shore near Tasmat village, as reported by Father Langon in Carney and Campillo (1980) in Louat and Baldassari (1989). (reference #13893)

Father Langon's account of events during 13th-14th May (1980)…The main shock at 0337 hrs, 13th., May caused consternation throughout the island. In Tasmat village Fr. Langon recalled that people immediately vacated their houses and collected at one or two places known to be safe from landslides and falling boulders. A similar exodus occurred at Aota and Matliwag villages, where damage to newly-constructed houses was considerable. The constant smaller tremors felt in the day following the 13th. deterred many people from returning to their damaged houses, particularly in Aota and Matliwag where as recently as the writer's visit the inhabitants of structurally-weakened houses were afraid to sleep in them at night. When presented with the Modified Mercalli scale of earthquake intensities Father Langon estimated the main shock at 5-6 i.e. strong enough to cause overturning and falling of loose objects and to awaken sleeping people but not sufficiently powerful to cause damage to cement walls or foundations. The latter did however occur in houses that were dislocated by slippage of ground beneath or behind them. A small tsunami at the time of the main earthquake apparently resulted in the standing of fish on the shore near Tasmat.( Further tsunamis were recorded on the tide gauge in Vila Harbour following large earthquakes in the Banks Group on July 10th. and 18th.)" (reference #13894)