February 8, 1843 Tsunami: Pointe-A-Pitre, Guadeloupe
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.5 earthquake began at Pointe-A-Pitre, Guadeloupe on February 8, 1843 at 14:50 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 5,000 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
- February 8, 1843, 14:50 UTC
- Source
- Pointe-A-Pitre, Guadeloupe
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.5, 33 km deep
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Maximum water height
- 1.2 m (3.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 16.730° N, 61.170° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 5,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more) 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.
A disastrous earthquake occurred at Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe. It was felt at Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Montserrat, Martinique, and other islands. At Antigua, the sea rose 1.2 m and sank again immediately.
Following Bernard and Lambert [1988], no significant tsunami was promoted by the 1843 earthquake, whereas Shepherd [1992] mentioned several observations of tsunami reported in Antigua and Nevis. (reference #13355)
Note: Many news articles (e.g. refs # 13201) state that Grand Cayman sunk due to an earthquake in 1843, ref #13202 attributes it to the 08 Feb 1843 Guadeloupe event. However, many newspapers (including refs #13203, #13204) quickly discredited the reports of Grand Cayman sinking
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pointe-A-Pitre | Guadeloupe | 67 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Antigua | Antigua and Barbuda | 84 | 1.2 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1843The 1800sTsunamis of GuadeloupeThe earthquakeThe eruptionThis 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 730.