World Map › Major Tsunamis Since 1900 › 1908
Historic Tsunami
1908 Italy Tsunami
28 December 1908 · Messina Strait, Ionian Sea · Italy
On 28 December 1908 at 04:20 UTC, a tsunami formed near Messina Strait, Ionian Sea, Italy. It was caused by an earthquake and landslide. Waves reached up to 13.0 m high. It was observed at 87 locations in 5 countries or territories, up to 1,522 km from its source. It killed at least 80,000 people. It is the 4th deadliest of the tsunamis recorded since 1900.
- Date
- 28 December 1908
- Time
- 04:20 UTC
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake Magnitude
- 7.0
- Highest Wave
- 13.0 m
- Observation Sites
- 87
- Furthest Reach
- 1,522 km
- Deaths
- 80,000
- Estimated Damage
- 116 million US dollars
- Source Country
- Italy
- Triggering Earthquake
- 1908 Messina Earthquake
Countries and Territories Reached
Number of observations, highest wave and deaths in each country.
Highest Waves
- 13.0 mPellaro · Italy · 18 km
- 11.7 mS. Alessio · Italy · 34 km
- 10.5 mLazzaro · Italy · 24 km90 deaths
- 10.0 mCalabernardo · Italy · 150 km
- 9.7 mReggio Calabria · Italy · 10 km
- 9.5 mGiardini Naxos · Italy · 47 km2 deaths
- 9.2 mNizza Di Sicilla · Italy · 25 km
- 8.5 mBriga Marina · Italy · 13 km46 deaths
- 8.4 mAli Marina · Italy · 23 km
- 8.0 mGalati Marina · Italy · 10 km14 deaths
Other Major Tsunamis in the Region
- 1990Eastern Sicily, Italy19 deaths
- 1953Ionian Sea, Greece476 deaths
- 1948Ionian Sea, Greece · 1.0 m7 deaths
- 1907Ionian Calabria, Italy158 deaths
- 1906Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy · 0.4 m350 deaths
- 1905Tyrrhenian Calabria, Italy · 1.3 m557 deaths
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Tsunami Database (doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7) · Natural Earth