Historic Tsunami

1907 Indonesia Tsunami

4 January 1907 · Nw. Sumatra · Indonesia

On 4 January 1907 at 05:19 UTC, a tsunami formed near Nw. Sumatra, Indonesia. It was caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake. Waves reached up to 15.0 m high. It was observed at 84 locations in 8 countries or territories, up to 5,672 km from its source. It killed at least 2,188 people. It is the 31st deadliest of the tsunamis recorded since 1900.

Date

4 January 1907

Time

05:19 UTC

Cause

Earthquake

Earthquake Magnitude

8.2

Highest Wave

15.0 m

Observation Sites

84

Furthest Reach

5,672 km

Deaths

2,188

Source Country

Indonesia

Triggering Earthquake

1907 Sumatra Earthquake

Countries and Territories Reached

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

• 66Indonesia · 15.0 m508 deaths
• 5Sri Lanka · 2.1 m
• 5France · 2.0 m
• 3India · 0.1 m
• 1Pakistan · 0.1 m
• 2Mauritius
• 1Yemen
• 1Seychelles

Highest Waves

• 15.0 mPulau Woenga (Pulau Wunga) · Indonesia · 238 km100 deaths
• 10.0 mNaibos, Simeulue · Indonesia · 76 km
• 8.0 mAlafan · Indonesia · 30 km
• 2.1 mHambantota Harbor · Sri Lanka · 1,644 km
• 2.0 mSaint Pierre · France · 5,108 km
• 0.7 mGunungsitoli, Nias Island · Indonesia · 279 km
• 0.6 mGalle · Sri Lanka · 1,738 km
• 0.5 mSinabang, Simeulue · Indonesia · 97 km
• 0.1 mPort Blair, Andaman Islands · India · 1,041 km
• 0.1 mKarachi · Pakistan · 3,922 km

Other Major Tsunamis in the Region

• 2012Off West Coast of N Sumatra, Indonesia · 1.1 m10 deaths
• 2005Indonesia · 4.2 m1,319 deaths
• 2004Off West Coast of Sumatra, Indonesia · 50.9 m227,899 deaths
• 1967Northeast Sumatra, Indonesia14 deaths

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