November 11, 1852 Tsunami: Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake began at Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia on November 11, 1852 at 00:00 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 3 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
- November 11, 1852, 00:00 UTC
- Source
- Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.8
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 1.500° N, 98.000° 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.
1852, November 11, 1852, 7:00 (local time), 1.5 N, 98 E, magnitude 6.75 MS. There was an earthquake on the west coast of Sumatra Island, at Singkel and Sibolga and on Nias Island. It affected an area of 600 km2 (180 square miles), and the waters on all this area were disturbed. A shock was felt at sea 6 km (3 miles) from Gunungsitoli. An earthquake was felt at Padang. At 8:30, there was a weak shock on Penang Island. [It is difficult to judge whether this refers to a seaquake or a tsunami.] (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nias Island, Sumatra | Indonesia | 56 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Singkel, Sumatra | Indonesia | 89 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Sibolga, Sumatra | Indonesia | 91 | 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 794.