August 16, 1995 Tsunami: Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea on August 16, 1995 at 10:27:28 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.28 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
- August 16, 1995, 10:27:28 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7, 30 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.28 m (0.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 5.799° S, 154.178° 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 earthquake generated a tsunami with heights of 55 cm at Rabaul, and 11 cm at Kwajalein Island. (reference #1315)
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 | 282 | 0.28 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Port Vila, Efate Island | Vanuatu | 2,028 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 16, 15:00 | ||
| Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, MH | Marshall Islands | 2,201 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1995The 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 2250.