July 12, 1848 Earthquake: Tahiti, French Polynesia
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Tahiti, French Polynesia on July 12, 1848. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- July 12, 1848
- Place
- Tahiti, French Polynesia
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 17.900° S, 149.900° W
- Country
- French Polynesia
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1848, July 12. On the island of Tahiti, an earthquake was followed by a strong tsunami...(Reference #415).
More
Significant earthquakes of 1848The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 6857.