July 11, 1855 Tsunami: S. California, United States
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6 earthquake and a landslide began at S. California, United States on July 11, 1855 at 04:15 UTC. 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
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- July 11, 1855, 04:15 UTC
- Source
- S. California, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 34.100° N, 118.100° W
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 1 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 26 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.
1855, July 10, about 20:00. At Los Angeles, there was a strong earthquake which caused substantial damage. Cracks 2-5 cm wide formed in the ground at many places and remained for several days. Twenty-six buildings were damaged in the city, including the church. It was mainly
walls, made of unpolished stone, which were destroyed. The bells were cast down from the bell tower at San Gabriel. The earthquake was felt 15 km east of San Bernardino and at Santa Barbara. At San Juan Capistrano, immediately after the earthquake, movement of the water accompanied by a dull loud rumble was noted. Two unusually large waves surged on shore. (reference #415)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan Capistrano, CA, CA | United States | 79 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1855The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThe 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 846.