Tsunamis in French Polynesia

In a total of 13 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1837 a total of 2 people died in French Polynesia. Compared to other countries, Tsunamis therefore occur rather rarely.

The strongest tidal wave registered in French Polynesia so far reached a height of 20 meters. At this Tsunami on 04/01/1946 a total of 2 people have been killed.

The biggest impact in terms of lifes, injuries, destroyed homes and economy had been a tsunami on 03/11/2011.

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Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes or other seismic eruptions on ground of an oceans and can cause massive tidal waves, which run with enormous force on land, causing great devastation. Especially in regions with only few tsunamis, the damage is often drastic, as the population does not expect tsunamis and thus hardly takes any protective measures. Even relatively small flood waves can lead to high losses and financial damage.

The marked positions on the map represent the most effected regions within the past 190 years.

The largest tsunamis in French Polynesia since 1837

Date	Cause	max. tidal wave	Fatalities
09/16/2015	Earthquake in Chile (Central Chile) with a magnitude of 8.3.	1.4 m	0
03/11/2011	Earthquake in Japan (Honshu Island) with a magnitude of 9.1. The tsunami caused damages in 11 further countries. A total of 18,431 humans died.	4.5 m	0
02/27/2010	Earthquake in Chile (Central Chile) with a magnitude of 8.8. The tsunami also reached Chile, United States, Russia, New Zealand. A total of 156 humans died.	3.9 m	0
09/13/1999	Landslide in French Polynesia (Fatu Hiva)	8 m	0
02/21/1996	Earthquake in Peru (N. Peru) with a magnitude of 7.5.	2 m	0
07/30/1995	Earthquake in Chile (Northern Chile) with a magnitude of 8.0.	3 m	0
03/28/1964	Earthquake, landslide in the United States (Prince William Sound, Ak) with a magnitude of 9.2. The tsunami caused damages in 5 further countries. A total of 124 humans died.	2 m	0
05/22/1960	Earthquake in Chile (Southern Chile) with a magnitude of 9.5. The tsunami caused damages in 13 further countries. A total of 2,226 humans died.	3.4 m	0
03/09/1957	Earthquake in the United States (Andreanof Islands, Ak) with a magnitude of 8.6. The tsunami caused damages in 6 further countries. A total of 2 humans died.	6 m	0
04/01/1946	Earthquake, landslide in the United States (Unimak Island, Ak) with a magnitude of 8.6. The tsunami caused damages in 6 further countries. A total of 167 humans died.	20 m	2
08/17/1906	Earthquake in Chile (Central Chile) with a magnitude of 8.2. The tsunami also reached United States, Chile.	0 m	0
08/13/1868	Earthquake in Chile (Northern Chile) with a magnitude of 8.5. The tsunami caused damages in 6 further countries. A total of 25,000 humans died.	0 m	0
11/07/1837	Earthquake in Chile (Southern Chile) with a magnitude of 8.5.	2 m	0

These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Global Historical Tsunami Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Several data have been summarized and translated.

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