Tsunami Monitoring in Hong Kong
Most tsunamis are generated by submarine earthquakes. Hong Kong has not been seriously affected by any tsunami in recorded history, with the Philippines Islands and Taiwan acting as an almost complete breakwater for such tsunamis in the Pacific. Diffracted sea waves are much weaker and therefore the energy that arrives in Hong Kong has been fairly small.
Hong Kong Observatory monitors warning messages issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) and keeps a close watch on the sea water levels recorded by tide gauges in Hong Kong. In the event of a tsunamigenic earthquake affecting Hong Kong, the Observatory will issue a tsunami warning to the public.
Sea level records of five very minor tsunamis detected in Hong Kong
|
Date |
Origin |
Moment magnitude Mw |
Maximum sea level change
recorded in Hong Kong |
|
5/11/1952 |
Kamchatka |
9.0 |
0.15 m |
|
23/5/1960 |
Chile |
9.5 |
0.3 m |
|
4/3/1985 |
Chile |
7.9 |
less than 0.1 m |
|
24/6/1988 |
Luzon Strait |
5.7 |
0.3 m |
|
26/12/2006 |
Over the sea near Southern Taiwan |
7.1 |
less than 0.1 m |
|
