September 6, 1833 Tsunami: Yunnan Province, China
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8 earthquake and a landslide began at Yunnan Province, China on September 6, 1833. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 6,700 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
- September 6, 1833
- Source
- Yunnan Province, China
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 25.200° N, 103.000° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 6,700 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 87,620 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.
September 6, 1833, In and around Yanglin of Songming,
Yunnan Province, 25.2 N, 103.0 E, magnitude 8.
The earthquake affected as far as 500 km in distance. A landslide occurred in Mt. Xishan, the Dianchi Lake surged. (reference #3939)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dianchi Lake | China | 53 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1833The 1800sTsunamis of ChinaThe 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 3578.