January 11, 1839 Tsunami: Martinique
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8 earthquake began at Martinique on January 11, 1839 at 09:55:00 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 390 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
- January 11, 1839, 09:55:00 UTC
- Source
- Martinique
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8, 33 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 14.900° N, 60.600° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 390 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) 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.
For the 1839 earthquake, we find the first description of an anomalous behavior of the sea in “Le chapelier pirate”(Peray, 1843, p.327; ref#13360) saying “Plus terrible encore, la mer bouleversée se présenta dans une position déversante sur toute la ville et eut le temps de gagner dix à quinze mètres sur elle, mais, fort heureusement, le mouvement se fit en sens inverse plus promptement que par la parole. . . ”, which can be translated as “Even more terrible, the shook up sea rose to cover all the city in a pouring position and had time to gain ten to fifteen meters on it, but, very fortunately, the sea withdraw more quickly than time allowed. . . ”. (reference #12203) (Note: reference #13359 clarifies that the 10-15 meters are inundation, not runup/height)
This [reference #12203] is the first evidence indicating that a local seismic event originating in the subduction zone, east of the island, can generate a tsunami impacting the island. (reference #13356)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort-De-France | Martinique | 60 | 15 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1839The 1800sTsunamis of MartiniqueThe 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 5864.