January 9, 1852 Tsunami: Java, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake began at Java, Indonesia on January 9, 1852. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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 9, 1852
- Source
- Java, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.5, 150 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 6.500° S, 105.500° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) 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.
1852, January 9, soon after 18:00 [local time]. There was an earthquake, which spread from the western part of Java to the southern part of Sumatra... At 18:25, there were strong horizontal shocks at Telukbetung. They recurred twice, at short intervals; the duration was 3 minutes. At 20:00, there was an unexpected rise and then a fall in sea level, which recurred several times. However, the height of the flood did not surpass the height of the highest high tides. (reference #414)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telukbetung, Sumatra | Indonesia | 119 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1852The 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 5454.