January 15, 1854 Tsunami: Philippine Sea, Northwest Pacific Ocean
A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Philippine Sea, Northwest Pacific Ocean on January 15, 1854.
Where the waves reached
The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.
- 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 15, 1854
- Source
- Philippine Sea, Northwest Pacific Ocean
- Cause
- Volcano
- Runups recorded
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 20.900° N, 134.800° 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:
1854, January 15. There was an underwater eruption at 20 deg 56 min N., 134 deg 45 min E.; the air was scorching and the sea was rough; there was a sulphur smell. [An inexact re-telling of the preceding incident (1850, no month)].
More
Every tsunami in 1854The 1800sTsunamis of Northwest Pacific OceanThis 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 816.