Tsunamis in 1862

April 8, 1862 Tsunami: Cheribon District, Java, Indonesia

April 8, 1862 · 2.1 m · Erroneous entry

A tsunami of unknown cause began at Cheribon District, Java, Indonesia on April 8, 1862. The water rose as high as 2.1 meters. 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
April 8, 1862
Source
Cheribon District, Java, Indonesia
Cause
Unknown
Maximum water height
2.1 m (6.9 ft)
Runups recorded
1
Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
1.1
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Erroneous entry
Source location
6.700° S, 108.570° 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:

April 8, 1862. There is an erroneous reference in a number of compendia to a tsunami on Java Island with a reference to Wichmann. In fact Wichmann mentions that on April 8 about 19:00, on one stretch of the Lenor River in the region of Galu (Cheribon District), the water suddenly became very agitated and the resulting waves flooded the shore by 2 m (6-7 feet).

Reference #132:

April 8, 1862. North coast of Java, Lenor. Waves 6 to 7 feet high.

Reference #79:

April 8, 1862. Lenor, Java, Indonesia. Waves 1.8-2.1 m.

Reference #2689:

Apr. 8, 1862. The event reported by Heck, as a tsunami, was according to Wichmann's description, a river seiche.

Every runup

Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
Lenor River, Galu, JavaIndonesia2962.1Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1862The 1800sTsunamis of IndonesiaThis 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 921.