August 1802 Tsunami: Banda Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Banda Sea, Indonesia in August 1802. 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
- August 1802
- Source
- Banda Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 3.700° S, 128.200° E
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.
Reference #414:
1802, August. Ambon. A letter dated August 25 reports a strong earthquake which affected Ambon Island and other islands on the east of Indonesia. The water at sea rose very high and did great damage on the coast of the islands.
Reference #132:
1802, August. Dutch East Indies, Amboina. Sea very high and did damage after earthquake.
Reference #40:
1802 August. Indonesia. Amboina, a very high wave which followed an earthquake did some damage.
Reference #13384:
damage from tsunami; account might be unreliable
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambon Island | Indonesia | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1802The 1800sTsunamis of IndonesiaThe earthquakeAlerts 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 586.