May 23, 1989 Tsunami: Macquarie Island, Australia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake began at Macquarie Island, Australia on May 23, 1989 at 10:54:46 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.15 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 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
- May 23, 1989, 10:54:46 UTC
- Source
- Macquarie Island, Australia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.1, 10 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.15 m (0.5 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 52.341° S, 160.568° 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 8.2 Ms earthquake at 10:55 UT near Macquarie Island generated a tsunami along the SE coast of Tasmania recorded at Hobart, Tasmania and Eden Jervis Bay and with a height of 0.2 meters at Sydney harbor, New South Wales, Australia. (reference #1315)
Tsunamis from this event were recorded at least at four tide gauge stations in southeastern Australia, southeast Tasmania and southeastern New South Wales [McCue, 1990]. The maximum peak-to-trough amplitude is reported to be 30 cm. (reference #12859)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart, Tasmania | Australia | 1,444 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Eden (Twofold Bay) | Australia | 1,891 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Jervis Bay | Australia | 2,067 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Sydney | Australia | 2,186 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1989The 1900sTsunamis of AustraliaThe 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 2185.