November 11, 1842 Tsunami: Northern End, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6 earthquake began at Northern End, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh on November 11, 1842. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 3 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
The tsunami
- Date
- November 11, 1842
- Source
- Northern End, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 24.000° N, 89.250° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
November 11, 1842, 21 38 hr. Calcutta, Darjeeling, Gowhatty, Chittagong, Monghyr. Three shocks felt at Botanic Gardens, near Calcutta, river much agitated. A remarkable luminous appearance observed in part of the river, which passed and, on its enclosing the ship, a general severe tremor was felt throughout. Felt also at Pabna, severe, southwest to northeast, at Burrissul ground heaved, river greatly agitated, loud rumbling noise. At Gowhatty, slight, tremulous. At Chittagong, more severe, north to south. Felt also sharply at sea by the "Agincourt" about 50 miles southeast of floating light-ship. (reference #1185)
November 11, 1842. Disturbance in the Gangetic Delta in Bengal. (reference #3927)
November 11, 1842, near northern end of Bay of Bengal. Tsunami waves in the various tributaries of the Ganges river, Dhaka, Calcutta, and Chefuba Island. (reference #96)
November 11, 1842. Earthquake near north end of the Bay of Bengal. The waters of the distributaries of the delta were agitated. (reference #112)
November 11, 1842, Pabna, Bangladesh, magnitude 6.0. (reference #1212)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhaka | Bangladesh | 122 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Calcutta | India | 191 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Cheduba Island | Myanmar | 736 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1842The 1800sTsunamis of BangladeshThe 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 727.