April 7, 1995 Tsunami: Samoa Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake began at Samoa Islands on April 7, 1995 at 22:06:56 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.09 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 3 countries.
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
- April 7, 1995, 22:06:56 UTC
- Source
- Samoa Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.4, 21 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.09 m (0.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 15.199° S, 173.529° W
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS | US Territories | 322 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Niue | Niue | 574 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Port Vila, Efate Island | Vanuatu | 12,328 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1995The 1900sTsunamis of SamoaThe 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 2240.