January 21, 1760 Tsunami: Germany & Denmark
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Germany & Denmark on January 21, 1760. 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 21, 1760
- Source
- Germany & Denmark
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
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.
Reference #1879: "Night between 21 and 22. Hamburg and Copenhagen. One shock, followed by three less violent. Direction, N. to S. At Hamburg they lasted half a minute, at Copenhagen, one minute. The sea was much agitated at Elsineur." Berninghausen (Reference #43) lists Helsingor, and includes this in his list of tsunamis of northwestern Europe.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helsingor | Denmark | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1760The 1700sTsunamis of GermanyThis 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 467.