December 18, 2001 Tsunami: Taiwan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake began at Taiwan on December 18, 2001 at 04:02:58 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.16 meters. Its effects were recorded at 6 places in at least 2 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
- December 18, 2001, 04:02:58 UTC
- Source
- Taiwan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.8, 14 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.16 m (0.5 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 23.954° N, 122.734° 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.
Tsunami generated with recorded wave heights of 20 cm on Iriomote-jima, 13 cm on Yonaguni-jima, 11 cm at Uehara and 5 cm on Ishigaki-jima. (reference #1053)
Wave heights of 14.2, 16.2 and 10 cm recorded at Geng Fang, Su-ao and Hoping Harbour (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yonaguni | Japan | 59 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 04:12 | ||
| Su-Ao, Yilan | Taiwan | 113 | 0.16 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Iriomote Island | Japan | 114 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Uehara | Japan | 120 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Geng Fang | Taiwan | 137 | 0.14 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Ishigakiko | Japan | 152 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 04:47 |
More
Every tsunami in 2001The 2000sTsunamis 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 2404.