May 14, 2019 Tsunami: Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake began at Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea on May 14, 2019 at 12:58:25 UTC.
Where the waves reached
The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.
- 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
- May 14, 2019, 12:58:25 UTC
- Source
- Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.6, 10 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 4.051° S, 152.597° E
The toll
- Injuries
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) 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.
There were reports of damages in Rabaul, where a tsunami was generated. (reference #12431)
Mr. Saunders [geodetic surveyor with Rabaul Volcano Observatory] said there were only small sea swells along the Yacht Club area Rabaul but they have subsided and faded out. (reference #12430)
More
Every tsunami in 2019The 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 5705.