November 14, 1986 Tsunami: Taiwan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake began at Taiwan on November 14, 1986 at 21:20:10 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 15 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
- November 14, 1986, 21:20:10 UTC
- Source
- Taiwan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.8, 34 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 23.901° N, 121.574° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 15 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 6; 50 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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.
Northeastern Hualien (23.9N, 121.8E) earthquake of Ms 7.8 triggered tsunami; tsunami sank 10 fishing boats in Hualien and Yilan ports, and caused six people injured. (Wang et al., 2005a). (reference #12988)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hualien Port | Taiwan | 11 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Yilan Port | Taiwan | 81 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Ishigakiko | Japan | 268 | 0.14 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hirara | Japan | 389 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Naha | Japan | 666 | 0.14 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1986The 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 3507.