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Tsunamis in Tonga

In a total of 6 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1865 a total of 11 people died in Tonga. Compared to other countries, Tsunamis therefore occur rather rarely.

The strongest tidal wave registered in Tonga so far reached a height of 22.35 meters. At this Tsunami on 09/29/2009 a total of 9 people have been killed.

Other natural hazards in Tonga:
› Volcanos
› Earthquake
› Cyclones
› The most severe natural disasters worldwide


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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 160 years.

The largest tsunamis in Tonga since 1865

DateCausemax. tidal waveFatalitiesTotal damage
09/29/2009Earthquake in Samoa (Samoa Islands) with a magnitude of 8.1. The tsunami also reached American Samoa, Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, , United States. A total of 192 humans died.22.35 m9
04/30/1919Earthquake in Tonga (Tonga Islands) with a magnitude of 8.1.2.5 m0
06/26/1917Earthquake in Samoa (Samoa Islands) with a magnitude of 8.3. The tsunami also reached Samoa, American Samoa. A total of 2 humans died.4.2 m0
08/30/1892Volcano in Tonga (Tofua)0 m2
05/10/1877Earthquake in Chile (Northern Chile) with a magnitude of 8.3. The tsunami caused damages in 7 further countries. A total of 2,282 humans died.3.6 m0
11/18/1865Earthquake in Tonga (Tonga Islands) with a magnitude of 8.0.0 m0


These evaluations are based on data from the Global Historical Tsunami Database of the National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA, and World Data Service (NGDC/WDS), doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Individual data have been summarized or translated.
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