June 29, 1725 Tsunami: Marseilles, France
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Marseilles, France on June 29, 1725 at 20:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.5 meters. 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
- June 29, 1725, 20:00 UTC
- Source
- Marseilles, France
- Cause
- Unknown
- Maximum water height
- 1.5 m (4.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 43.300° N, 5.370° E
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.
According to BRGM (2013) , who quotes several coeval sources, on June 25 in the evening, during calm weather, the water in the Marseille harbour considerably retreated, then after 15 min the water came back rapidly and with such a violence that many vessels in the harbour were shaken. After few minutes the sea water rose up to 5-6 feet, inundating the quay. Further references: Lambert and Terrier (2011). (reference #11164)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marseille | France | 0 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Cassis | France | 17 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1725The 1700sTsunamis of FranceThis 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 5846.