April 13, 1668 Tsunami: Boston and Salem, Massachusetts, United States
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Boston and Salem, Massachusetts, United States on April 13, 1668. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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
- April 13, 1668
- Source
- Boston and Salem, Massachusetts, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 42.350° N, 71.050° W
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
An earthquake of intensity IV occurred in the Boston and Salem, Massachusetts area; also felt in Roxbury. Winkler (Reference #1706) says that a "river was reportedly swallowed up and Indians say river course altered." The source for this information is S.G. Drake, 1848, Historical Antiquities Boston. It is unknown which river was altered, so runup data are listed for both Boston and Salem.
1668, April 13, 9:00. An earthquake of intensity IV occurred in the Boston and Salem, Massachusetts area. A river was reportedly swallowed up and Indians say that the river course was altered. (Winkler, 1978) Validity 1. (reference #541)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA, MA | United States | 0 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Salem, MA, MA | United States | 26 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1668The 1600sTsunamis of United StatesThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts 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 2440.