December 19, 1982 Tsunami: Kermadec Islands, Tonga
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Kermadec Islands, Tonga on December 19, 1982 at 17:43:54 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 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 19, 1982, 17:43:54 UTC
- Source
- Kermadec Islands, Tonga
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.2 m (0.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -2.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 24.133° S, 175.864° 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.
An earthquake (Ms 7.7) in the Tonga Islands generated a tsunami that was recorded at Pago Pago, American Samoa, with a runup of 9 cm, at Honolulu, Hawaii, with a runup of 4-5 cm., at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, with a runup of 6 cm, and at Papeete, Tahiti, with a runup of 15 cm. (reference #1315)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS | US Territories | 1,219 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Papeete, Tahiti | French Polynesia | 2,827 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 5,300 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 5,392 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1982The 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 2137.