June 18, 1987 Tsunami: Solomon Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake began at Solomon Islands on June 18, 1987 at 14:03:16 UTC. 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
- June 18, 1987, 14:03:16 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.3, 75 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 10.717° S, 162.330° 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.
A magnitude 6.0 Mb earthquake at 12:50 UT in the Solomon Islands (Lander, ref #1315 lists Solomon Islands) generated a tsunami, but it was not mentioned in PDE.
The Tsunami Newsletter lists an earthquake on June 17, 1987. An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale,
and with epicenter at latitude 14.0 South and longitude
167.8 East occurred at 0249 UTC about 1,300 miles northeast
of Brisbane, Australia, followed by a 5.8 earthquake
in the same general area. A small tsunami was triggered
and authorities evacuated residents of low-lying areas of
Vila, Vanuatu, but no casualties or damage were reported.
(reference #2119)
Note: The only earthquake listed near that date is the Solomon Islands earthquake on June 18.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Vila, Efate Island | Vanuatu | 1,011 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1987The 1900sTsunamis of Solomon IslandsThe 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 2172.