Historical tsunamis · Apr 9, 2008, 12:46 PM UTC

2008 Loyalty Islands tsunami

New Caledonia

The tsunami of Apr 9, 2008, 12:46 PM UTC originated near Loyalty Islands (New Caledonia).

Key facts

Date
Apr 9, 2008, 12:46 PM UTC
Cause
Earthquake
Magnitude
M7.3
Depth
35 km
Maximum documented water height
0.16 m
Observation records
1
Countries affected
1

It was triggered by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake at a depth of 35 km.

The highest documented water height was 0.16 m.

1 observation sites in 1 countries are recorded.

Outside the source country, the earliest documented arrival was at Port Vila, Efate Island (Vanuatu) after 0:24 h.

Map of observation sites

1

Each dot is a documented observation site; colour and size show the observed water height. The triangle marks the source.

Tsunami arrival times

Documented arrival times from the NOAA/NCEI database, showing the earliest recorded location per country. Coverage is incomplete: a country without an entry was not necessarily spared.

  1. 0:00 hEarthquake (origin) · Apr 9, 2008, 12:46 PM UTC
  2. 0:24 hVanuatu · Port Vila, Efate Island · 0.15 m

1 places with a documented arrival time

Observations by country

CountryObservation recordsMaximum documented water heightDeathsEarliest arrival
Vanuatu10.15 m
Port Vila, Efate Island
—0:24 h

Highest documented water heights

1 / 1

Individual documented observations for this event. Heights come from different measurement types and sources; not every location has a measured height.

Location / stationObserved heightDistance from sourceCountry
Port Vila, Efate Island0.15 m264 kmVanuatu

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Historical Tsunami Database. Confirmed events only. Deaths and damage are database estimates; older records are incomplete. Water heights come from different types of observation.