Tsunamis in 1833

November 24, 1833 Tsunami: SW. Sumatra, Indonesia

November 24, 1833 · Deaths: few · Definite tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake began at SW. Sumatra, Indonesia on November 24, 1833. Its effects were recorded at 6 places in at least 2 countries.

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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
November 24, 1833
Source
SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
Cause
Earthquake
Runups recorded
6
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
2.5
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Definite tsunami
Source location
2.500° S, 100.500° E

The toll

Deaths
Few (about 1 to 50)
Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed
Few (about 1 to 50)
Houses damaged
Few (about 1 to 50)

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.

Note: some catalogs/publications list January and others November. Reference #414 indicates it is the same event. Reference #4659 lists both as two separate events.

Reference #414:

1833, November (January) 24, about 20:30 (local time), 2.5 S, 100.5 E, depth 75 km, magnitude 8.25 MS, tsunami intensity 2.5. There was a strong earthquake on Sumatra Island, which was also felt at Singapore and on Java Island. The barrier on the slope of the Kaba volcano which holds back the lake burst. The lake flowed out, and the resulting flood inundated and destroyed seven villages. A strong seaquake was felt by the "Mercurius" at the latitude of the Pagai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra. At Palembang, as a result of the earthquake, buildings cracked and several huts collapsed.

The earthquake lasted 5 minutes at Bengkulu. Buildings were damaged and some collapsed. A tidal wave surging onto the coast destroyed a breakwater and the homes situated near to it. Two schooners and several small ships were run aground.

At Padang, strong tremors lasted 3 minutes. The shocks recurred for several days and were accompanied by a rumble. Buildings were damaged. The ground cracked, and water and mud flowed from the cracks. A surging tidal wave caused considerable losses.

There were strong tremors at Indrapura and Pulu Tjinkok. The losses from the tidal wave were considerable; there were victims.

There were exceptionally strong shocks at Pariaman. Cracks 1/2 m or more wide formed in the ground. The tremors lasted many days. The water retreated and returned with force in an enormous tidal wave. All the ships were torn from their anchors.

Reference #42:

1833, November 24. Bengkulu: Sumatera - a severe earthquake occurred and caused some buildings to collapse or be damaged. A tsunami was observed. (reference #1188)

1833, January 29. Sumatra. A great sea wave destroyed a breakwater at Bengkulu. Wave damage was reported from Padang. At Priana the wave tore ships from their anchors.

Reference #132:

1833, January 29. Sumatra, west coast, Bengkulu. Great sea wave destroyed breakwater. Padang, great wave caused damage. Priana, wave tore ships from their anchors.

Every runup

Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
IndrapuraIndonesia68Eyewitness observation of water height
Padang, SumatraIndonesia172Eyewitness observation of water height
Pariaman (Priana), SumatraIndonesia210Eyewitness observation of water height
Bengkulu, SumatraIndonesia241Eyewitness observation of water height
Mahe IslandSeychelles5,005Eyewitness observation of water height
Pulu TjinkoIndonesiaEyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1833The 1800sTsunamis of IndonesiaThe 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 681.