22. Preliminary 2013 Solomon Islands Earthquake and Tsunami Data Report and Historical Retrospective

On 6 February 2013, at 01:12:27 UTC, a magnitude Mw 8.0 earthquake occurred at 10.738° S, 165.138° E, depth 29 km, in the Santa Cruz Islands region, Solomon Islands. The earthquake generated a tsunami that was observed throughout the entire Pacific Ocean. Maximum wave heights up to 3 m were observed on Nendo Island, located approximately 75 km east of the epicenter. On the islands of Malo, Nendo, Nibanga Noi, and Tomotu Niabona, the tsunami caused 11 deaths, 14 injuries, and damaged or destroyed more than 700 houses. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) and collocated World Data Service (WDS) for Geophysics maintains the global tsunami archive, providing integrated access to tsunami event observational, instrumental, and socio-economic impact data. This archive incorporates the historical tsunami database, imagery, raw and processed U.S. coastal tide gauge, and tsunameter data including Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART®) relevant to a tsunami event. The historical tsunami database includes information on the tsunami source, maximum wave heights, and socio-economic effects such as deaths and damage. NGDC works in collaboration with the UNESCO/IOC – NOAA International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC) to collect post-tsunami event information. As of 20 February 2013, NGDC has collected maximum tsunami amplitudes from 62 tide gauge observations, eight tsunameter and bottom pressure recorder (BPR) station observations, and 25 field survey and eyewitness reports for this event. Preliminary processing of tide gauge and tsunameter time series data revealed that the tsunami lasted between 6 and 9 h after arrival at the tsunameters located in the western Pacific and at the Pacific Island tide gauges. This paper presents a review of historical tsunamis in the Solomon Islands region and describes the data collected and processed for the 6 February 2013 earthquake and tsunami.