March 12, 1997 Tsunami: New Caledonia
A tsunami of unknown cause began at New Caledonia on March 12, 1997. The water rose as high as 2 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
- March 12, 1997
- Source
- New Caledonia
- Cause
- Unknown
- Maximum water height
- 2 m (6.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 21.700° S, 168.000° 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.
Two witnesses (Muriel Agnel, teacher, and Alan A.) report a flood on Mare on this day. Around 9-10 am on this fair weathered morning, three waves of 3-4 meters high (crest to trough) arrived in Wabao Bay (Fig. 7A). The third one, being the strongest, flooded the shore reaching a 4 m. runup (50 m. inland). The road and the houses which were left opened were covered by a 30 cm layer of sand (in yellow on Fig. 7B). Cars were stuck in the sand. M. Agnel took pictures of the beach and the road the day after the event (Fig. 7C and 7D). Most of the sand had been removed from the road already.
The flood of 13 March 1997 could be linked to the submarine eruptions witnessed in October along the Vanuatu Islands axis. No significant earthquake was reported on this day.
(all above from reference #8975)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mare Island | New Caledonia | 15 | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1997The 1900sTsunamis of New CaledoniaThis 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 5707.