Historic Tsunami

2009 Samoa Tsunami

29 September 2009 · Samoa Islands · Samoa

On 29 September 2009 at 17:48 UTC, a tsunami formed near Samoa Islands, Samoa. It was caused by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake. Waves reached up to 22.4 m high. It was observed at 618 locations in 20 countries or territories, up to 10,672 km from its source. It killed at least 192 people and injured 7. It is the 49th highest of the tsunamis recorded since 1900.

Date

29 September 2009

Time

17:48 UTC

Cause

Earthquake

Earthquake Magnitude

8.1

Highest Wave

22.4 m

Observation Sites

618

Furthest Reach

10,672 km

Deaths

192

Injuries

7

Estimated Damage

285 million US dollars

Source Country

Samoa

Triggering Earthquake

2009 Samoa Earthquake

Countries and Territories Reached

Number of observations, highest wave and deaths in each country.

• 170Samoa · 14.5 m356 deaths
• 255United States of America · 17.6 m34 deaths
• 75Tonga · 22.4 m9 deaths
• 42Wallis and Futuna (French Territory) · 4.5 m
• 2Cook Islands · 0.6 m
• 3Mexico · 0.6 m
• 24New Zealand · 0.4 m
• 12Chile · 0.4 m
• 3French Polynesia · 0.4 m
• 2Peru · 0.3 m
• 10Japan · 0.2 m
• 2Vanuatu · 0.2 m

Highest Waves

• 22.4 mTafahi 2, Tafahi Island · Tonga · 182 km
• 22.0 mTafahi 8, Tafahi Island · Tonga · 181 km
• 19.9 mTafahi 4, Tafahi Island · Tonga · 182 km
• 19.6 mTafahi 10, Tafahi Island · Tonga · 182 km
• 18.0 mTafahi 3, Tafahi Island · Tonga · 182 km
• 17.6 mPoloa, Tutuila Island · United States of America · 188 km
• 17.3 mTafahi 1, Tafahi Island · Tonga · 182 km
• 16.3 mPoloa, Tutuila Island · United States of America · 187 km
• 15.9 mTafahi 5, Tafahi Island · Tonga · 182 km
• 15.8 mHikuniu Beach 2, Niuatoputapu Is · Tonga · 184 km

Other Major Tsunamis in the Region

• 1919Tonga Islands, Tonga · 2.5 m
• 1917Samoa Islands, Samoa · 12.2 m2 deaths
• 1907Matavanu Volcano, Samoa · 3.6 m

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Tsunami Database (doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7) · Natural Earth