December 26, 2006 Tsunami: Taiwan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Taiwan on December 26, 2006 at 12:26:21 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.12 meters. Its effects were recorded at 7 places in at least 3 countries. It killed 2 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
- December 26, 2006, 12:26:21 UTC
- Source
- Taiwan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 10 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.12 m (0.4 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 21.799° N, 120.547° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 2 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 40 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 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.
On 26 December 2006 after an Mw 7.1 (Ms 7.2) earthquake occurred in the Luzon Strait near Taiwan Island, the National Marine Environment Forecasting Center, Beijing, China, issued a tsunami information bulletin for China. A tsunami with a height of 0.05 m above the normal tide level (crest-to-trough amplitude of 0.10 m) was observed at 2 tide gauges. In this event, Hong Kong Observatory issued a tsunami information bulletin for Hong Kong. A tsunami with a height of 0.07 m above the normal tide level (crest-to-trough amplitude of 0.11 m) was observed at a tide gauge.
Consecutive ML 7.0 submarine earthquakes occurred offshore of the Hengchun Peninsula, Taiwan, on 26 December 2006. A small tsunami was generated and recorded at tide gauge stations. This important event attracted public interest, as it was generated by an earthquake doublet and produced a tsunami risk for Taiwan (reference #13447)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houbihu | Taiwan | 27 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 26, 12:42 | ||
| Dongkung (Donggang) | Taiwan | 74 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 26, 12:54 | ||
| Kaohsiung | Taiwan | 94 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 26, 13:18 | ||
| Chongwu, Fujian Province | China | 379 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Dongshan, Fujian Province | China | 383 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hong Kong, Tai Miu Wan | China | 649 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Qui Nohn doubtful | Vietnam | 1,493 | 0.8 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2006The 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 3622.