March 29, 2015 Tsunami: Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea on March 29, 2015 at 23:48:31 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.5 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
- March 29, 2015, 23:48:31 UTC
- Source
- Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 41 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.5 m (1.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 4.729° S, 152.562° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabaul, New Britain | Papua New Guinea | 70 | 0.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Tarekukure, Taro Island | Solomon Islands | 478 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 30, 01:59 |
More
Every tsunami in 2015The 2000sTsunamis of Papua New GuineaThe 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 5581.