December 9, 2016 Tsunami: Solomon Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake began at Solomon Islands on December 9, 2016 at 19:10:06 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.05 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places in at least 3 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 9, 2016, 19:10:06 UTC
- Source
- Solomon Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.9, 20 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.05 m (0.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 10.749° S, 161.132° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D55012 Bpr, Coral Sea | Papua New Guinea | 627 | 0.01 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| D55023 Bpr, Etd Coral Sea | Papua New Guinea | 934 | 0.01 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Port Vila, Efate Island | Vanuatu | 1,095 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hienghene | New Caledonia | 1,173 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Lifou Island | New Caledonia | 1,303 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2016The 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 5632.