May 15, 1879 Tsunami: Sydney Harbor, Australia
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Sydney Harbor, Australia on May 15, 1879. The water rose as high as 0.03 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
The tsunami
- Date
- May 15, 1879
- Source
- Sydney Harbor, Australia
- Cause
- Unknown
- Maximum water height
- 0.03 m (0.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable 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.
“on the afternoon of May 15th, the tide gauge at Fort Denison recorded a series of periodic waves usually called tidal waves”. Listed as definite tsunami. (reference #2813)
A series of waves recorded at Fort Denison, Sydney Harbour (reference #14293)
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 Denison, Sydney Harbor | Australia | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1879The 1800sTsunamis of AustraliaThis 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 6131.