July 12, 1848 Tsunami: Tahiti, French Polynesia
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Tahiti, French Polynesia on July 12, 1848. Its effects were recorded at 2 places in at least 2 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
- July 12, 1848
- Source
- Tahiti, French Polynesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 17.900° S, 149.900° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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.
An earthquake in Tahiti produced a strong tsunami, which cast vessels upon the shore. The tsunami was just as strong on the Hawaiian Islands [Ref #415].
Strong earthquakes affected Chirikof I., Unga I., and the Alaska Peninsula on April 15, 1847,and the Sitka area on March 29, 1848. There was no mention of tsunamis from either area. (Ref #236)
The following is from [Ref #80]
The tsunami is suggested with a remote source to the north, or having waves of meteorological origin.
A newspaper account of the Dec. 1860 tsunami described as "resembling the same phenomena that occurred in that district 12 to 15 years ago and which consisted of several waves following each other at short intervals." The account implies that the date of the tsunami was some time between 1845 to 1848 and the location was the north coast of Maui.
The event is possibly a local tsunami although there was no mention of a Hawaiian earthquake on those dates.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Tahiti | French Polynesia | 50 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| N. Maui, HI, HI doubtful | United States | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1848The 1800sTsunamis of French PolynesiaThe 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 759.