July 16, 2000 Tsunami: Philippine Trench, Philippines
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake began at Philippine Trench, Philippines on July 16, 2000 at 03:21:45 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.4 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
- July 16, 2000, 03:21:45 UTC
- Source
- Philippine Trench, Philippines
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.4 m (1.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 20.253° N, 122.043° E
The toll
- Injuries
- 6 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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.
In the village of Savidug, a fisherman who was at sea when the quake occurred observed the sea level to rise by 40 cm from the normal level (Figure 2). Afterwhich, the water rose five times before it went back to normal (M.L.Paladio-Melosantos et al, 2000). The tsunami report is assessed as “positive”. Tsunami height is less than one meter. (reference #10958)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savidug, Sabtang, Island | Philippines | 18 | 0.4 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 2000The 2000sTsunamis of PhilippinesThe 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 5994.