January 25, 1846 Tsunami: Ternate Island, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake began at Ternate Island, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia on January 25, 1846 at 00:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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 25, 1846, 00:00 UTC
- Source
- Ternate Island, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3
- Maximum water height
- 1.2 m (3.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 2.000° N, 126.500° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #414:
1846, January 25, 9:00 [local time]. There was an earthquake on Ternate Island. It was not strong, but prolonged. An unusually high water level was observed in the wells. An underground noise was heard in the southern part of the island. A shock was felt onboard the English ship "Rochester," which was situated 90 km (50 miles) to the northeast of Morotai Island. On Ternate Island, the first shock, which lasted about 1 1/2 minutes, was followed by a tidal wave which reached a height of about 1.2 m (4 feet). Floods and ebbs recurred (sometimes 10 times an hour each) until 16:00. The tsunami was noticed not on
Reference #40:
1846, January 25. Indonesia, Halmahera, Ternate Island. Moderate height.
Note: Reference #11528 lists January 15. Reference #4659 lists 14 Feb
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ternate Island | Indonesia | 165 | 1.2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Manado, Sulawesi Island | Indonesia | 193 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1846The 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 749.