December 13, 1990 Tsunami: Taiwan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake began at Taiwan on December 13, 1990 at 19:50:17 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.04 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
- December 13, 1990, 19:50:17 UTC
- Source
- Taiwan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.3, 10 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.04 m (0.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 23.722° N, 121.627° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) 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.
the tsunami on 14 December 1990 (#46) generated by earthquake at Taiwan was only detected in Japan. (reference #8575)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ishigakiko | Japan | 267 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Miyako Island | Japan | 390 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1990The 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 2198.