October 6, 1860 Tsunami: Ceram Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Ceram Sea, Indonesia on October 6, 1860. 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
- October 6, 1860
- Source
- Ceram Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 1.250° S, 128.500° 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.
1860, October 6, after midnight. An earthquake was felt on the south coast of the Halmahera Island. A tidal wave fell on a proa at the southern tip of the island, but did not do any damage. After this phenomenon had been repeated 10-12 times, the surface of the sea became like a mirror. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halmahera | Indonesia | 20 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1860The 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 902.