August 9, 1792 Tsunami: Tainan, Taiwan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6 earthquake began at Tainan, Taiwan on August 9, 1792. The water rose as high as 10 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 252 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
- August 9, 1792
- Source
- Tainan, Taiwan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6
- Maximum water height
- 10 m (32.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 23.600° N, 120.500° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 252 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 432 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 14,889 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.
August 9, 1792, Jiayi, Taiwan Province, 23.6 N, 120.5 E, magnitude 6.75. Water surged up tens of meters in Luermen. (reference #3939)
1792, August 9. Tsunami source: Chiayi, [validity 2]. Tsunami observation: Anping, Luermen (Tainan), >10 meters. (reference #8575)
1792, August 9. Validity 4. Chiayi (23.6N, 120.6E) earthquake of Ms 7 in Taiwan triggered tsunami; suddenly there is no wind, waters swell several meters. Sailor said: “Land shook significantly.” It is the same in the ocean which is vast and black, the shaking boat also feels the different quake. (Taiwan Interview Book. (reference #12988)
as stated in the historical records as "water was uplifted several meters without wind, the field slumped down and water flooded in ..." (reference #549)
An agitated sea was observed in a harbour (Luermen, near Tainan) (Chen 1968; Bank of Taiwan 1993). Ships were reported shaken. Reports of land erosion occurred at the same year were suggested to be related to the earthquake (NTOU, n.d.). However, it was also reported that a flood occurred due to a heavy rain lasting for about a week before the earthquake (National Seismological Bureau 1995), which is more likely the cause of the land erosion. The damage of the earthquake was reported in detail in an official dynastic document (First Archive of China 1959) but no condition of the sea was reported. The earthquake damage inland was reported to be more severe than that at the coast, suggesting that the epicenter was located onshore. This idea is also suggested in National Seismological Bureau (1995). (reference #10200)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luermen, Tainan City | Taiwan | 76 | 10 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1792The 1700sTsunamis of TaiwanThe 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 3577.