July 25, 1668 Tsunami: Tancheng, Shandong Province, China
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.5 earthquake began at Tancheng, Shandong Province, China on July 25, 1668. Its effects were recorded at 4 places. It killed 42,578 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
- July 25, 1668
- Source
- Tancheng, Shandong Province, China
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.5
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 35.300° N, 118.600° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 42,578 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Very many (over 1,000) 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.
Earthquake on July 25, 1668, Between Juxian and Tancheng, Shandong Province, 35.3 N, 118.6 E, magnitude 8.5, intensity XII. A few coastal cities were flooded and rivers overflowed. (reference #3939)
1668 July 25. Tancheng (34.8N, 118.5E) earthquake of Ms 8.5 in Shandong triggered tsunami; “tide roared and gathered into rivers” (Mengyin County Annals of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty). (reference #12988)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ganyu | China | 70 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Pizhou | China | 125 | Other | ||||
| Wenshang | China | 197 | Other | ||||
| Caijialou | China | 379 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1668The 1600sTsunamis of ChinaThe 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 300.