January 20, 2003 Tsunami: Solomon Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake began at Solomon Islands on January 20, 2003 at 08:43:06 UTC. The water rose as high as 2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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
- January 20, 2003, 08:43:06 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 2 m (6.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 10.491° S, 160.770° 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.
Local tsunami observed on San Cristobal. (reference #1053)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makira Island (San Cristobal) | Solomon Islands | 81 | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 20, 00:00 | ||
| Honiara, Guadalcanal | Solomon Islands | 148 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 20, 09:43 |
More
Every tsunami in 2003The 2000sTsunamis of Solomon IslandsThe 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 2401.