March 14, 2020 Tsunami: Kermadec Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake began at Kermadec Islands on March 14, 2020 at 10:01:17 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.02 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 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
- March 14, 2020, 10:01:17 UTC
- Source
- Kermadec Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4, 11 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.02 m (0.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 27.367° S, 175.610° W
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.
Listed in supplement of reference #13893
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 | 1,964 | 0.01 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Litzlitz, Malekula Island | Vanuatu | 2,147 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Luganville | Vanuatu | 2,209 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2020The 2000sTsunamis of Kermadec 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 5951.