January 1531 Tsunami: Jiangsu Province, China
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 4.8 earthquake began at Jiangsu Province, China in January 1531. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- January 1531
- Source
- Jiangsu Province, China
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 4.8
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- An event that only caused a seiche
- Source location
- 30.700° N, 117.500° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
January 1531, Guichi, Jiangsu Province, 30.7 N, 117.5 E, magnitude 4.75, intensity VI. The river boiled and overflowed. (reference #3939)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guichi, Anhui Province | China | 5 | Other |
More
Every tsunami in 1531The 1500sTsunamis of ChinaThe earthquakeAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 3575.