October 12, 1987 Tsunami: Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea on October 12, 1987 at 13:57:04 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.04 meters. 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
- October 12, 1987, 13:57:04 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 25 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.04 m (0.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 7.288° S, 154.371° 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 6.8 Ms earthquake at 13:57 UT caused 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 | 417 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1987The 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 2175.