April 8, 1860 Tsunami: Anse-A-Veau, Haiti
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and a landslide began at Anse-A-Veau, Haiti on April 8, 1860. Its effects were recorded at 4 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
- April 8, 1860
- Source
- Anse-A-Veau, Haiti
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 18.520° N, 73.350° W
The toll
- Injuries
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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.
An earthquake that originated from Anse-a-Veau, Haiti, caused tsunami waves at Les Cayes, Acquin, and along the coast of Golfe de la Gonave. (reference #537)
In the vicinity of Anse a Veau the sea withdrew and then broke with a crash on the shore. (reference $43, #534)
A detailed letter from l’Anse-a-Veau (Le Progres, 14 April 1860) clearly describes two tsunami waves striking the coast of l’Anse-a-Veau shortly after felt shaking from E-05. The ebb and flow of the sea left stunned fish on the shore (Le Siecle, 4 June 1860). The initial tsunami polarity remains unclear, and there are no reports of waves from any other locations [...] Of note, although fragmentary reports allow the possibility that damage was due to the tsunami rather than shaking, the letter from l’Anse-a- Veau (Le Progres, 12 April 1860) explicitly noted that shaking was severe, before “the sea with fury invaded the quay” (fr: La mer avec furie a envahi le quai) [...] the tsunami at l’Anse-a-Veau was local, associated with an offshore slump (reference #13268)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anse-A-Veau | Haiti | 0 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Vieux-Bourg-D'Acquin | Haiti | 24 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Miragoane, Golfe DE LA Gonave doubtful | Haiti | 29 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Les Cayes | Haiti | 55 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1860The 1800sTsunamis of HaitiThe 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 897.