December 27, 2003 Tsunami: Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake began at Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia on December 27, 2003 at 16:00:59 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.15 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 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 27, 2003, 16:00:59 UTC
- Source
- Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3, 10 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.15 m (0.5 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 22.015° S, 169.766° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noumea | New Caledonia | 347 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Port Vila, Efate Island | Vanuatu | 496 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 27, 16:52 |
More
Every tsunami in 2003The 2000sTsunamis of New CaledoniaThe 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 3015.