March 31, 2002 Tsunami: Taiwan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake began at Taiwan on March 31, 2002 at 06:52:50 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 11 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 5 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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 31, 2002, 06:52:50 UTC
- Source
- Taiwan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.1, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.2 m (0.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 11
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 24.279° N, 122.179° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 5 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 200 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 100 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.
Waveheights of 18.5-27.3 cm detected in 5 stations at Eastern Taiwan. Li et al. 2006 (Lin, 2006). (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hualien | Taiwan | 67 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Yonaguni | Japan | 80 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 31, 07:05 | ||
| Taipei | Taiwan | 127 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Iriomote Island | Japan | 160 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 31, 07:15 | ||
| Taichung | Taiwan | 167 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Ishigakiko | Japan | 202 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 31, 07:42 | ||
| Yunlin | Taiwan | 219 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Miao-Li | Taiwan | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Nantou | Taiwan | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Chiai | Taiwan | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Taitung Count | Taiwan | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2002The 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 2396.