December 17, 2024 Tsunami: Vanuatu Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake began at Vanuatu Islands on December 17, 2024 at 01:47:26 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.25 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places. It killed 14 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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 17, 2024, 01:47:26 UTC
- Source
- Vanuatu Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3, 57 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.25 m (0.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Warning
- Regional Tsunami Warning issued by PTWC for areas without a warning system
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 17.686° S, 168.034° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 14 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 265 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $100 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 570 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.
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 | 30 | 0.25 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Lenakel, Tanna | Vanuatu | 242 | 0.17 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2024The 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 5942.