February 10, 1869 Tsunami: N. California, United States
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at N. California, United States on February 10, 1869 at 12:59 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
The tsunami
- Date
- February 10, 1869, 12:59 UTC
- Source
- N. California, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
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.
Earthquake in San Francisco. No tsunami recorded at Fort Point.
1869, February 10, 4:50 A.M. local time. Perrey (1872) reports, "The 13th at four hours 50 minutes in the morning at San Francisco a shock was felt. The marigraph at Fort Hornet indicated shaking at several unknown points." The Mining and Scientific Press (February 20, 1869, p. 114, col. 1) reports, "Oceanic Earthquake-The self-registering tide gauge at Fort Point, which never fails to record the slightest variation in the tide, indicated on the 10th instant an unusual disturbance in all probability caused by a submarine earthquake." The tide gage at Fort Point for the 13th does not show any activity and the record for February 10th shows short period and long period noise but no tsunami. Validity 1 (Reference #237).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Point, CA, CA | United States | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1869The 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 997.