April 28, 2008 Tsunami: Vanuatu Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake began at Vanuatu Islands on April 28, 2008 at 18:33:34 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.03 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
- April 28, 2008, 18:33:34 UTC
- Source
- Vanuatu Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4, 32 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.03 m (0.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 19.941° S, 168.953° 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.
Tide gauge records were available from four stations: (1) Port Vila, Efate, Vanuatu; 1-min; 17 deg 45 min 19.2 sec S; 168 deg 18 min 27.7 sec E
(2) Luganville, Santo, Vanuatu; 1-min; 15 deg 30 min 54 sec S; 167 deg 11 min 18 sec E
(3) Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji; 1-min; 18 deg 08 min S; 178 deg 26 min E
(4) Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji; 1-min; 17 deg 36 min S; 177 deg 26 min E
Link to a Plot of tide gauge records.
Tsunami-like oscillations were identified in the records of the Vanuatu stations (located close to the source) in about 2.5 hours after the main shock, however, it is not clear are these oscillations related to the earthquake or were generated by some atmospheric activity. Some similar trains of oscillations were observed at these sites before the earthquakes. The oscillations at Port Vila are very regular and monochromatic and are probably associated with the fundamental mode of the corresponding local bay. Thus, these oscillations may be generated by various sources.
(above from reference #4001)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Vila, Efate Island | Vanuatu | 251 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 21:01 | ||
| Luganville | Vanuatu | 524 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2008The 2000sTsunamis of VanuatuThe 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 3601.