July 3, 1985 Tsunami: New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake and a landslide began at New Ireland, Papua New Guinea on July 3, 1985 at 04:36:51 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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 3, 1985, 04:36:51 UTC
- Source
- New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3, 46 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1.3 m (4.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.4
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 4.439° S, 152.828° E
The toll
- Damage
- $1 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
An earthquake generated landslides in New Britain and a tsunami at Rabaul.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabaul, New Britain | Papua New Guinea | 76 | 1.3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Simpson Harbour, New Britain | Papua New Guinea | 77 | 1.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1985The 1900sTsunamis of Papua New GuineaThe 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 2161.