Tsunamis in 1881

August 12, 1881 Tsunami: Kingston, Jamaica

August 12, 1881 · 0.46 m · Very doubtful tsunami

A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Kingston, Jamaica on August 12, 1881. The water rose as high as 0.46 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
August 12, 1881
Source
Kingston, Jamaica
Cause
Earthquake
Earthquake
The earthquake
Maximum water height
0.46 m (1.5 ft)
Runups recorded
1
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Very doubtful tsunami
Source location
17.970° N, 76.800° W

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.

A well-marked double-shock was reported with a 1-second vertical shock, then in 3 seconds, a 4-second horizontal shock. A wave was reported from the north coast and after six hours, the water rose at Kingston Harbor. It is possible that tsunami effects may not be related to the reported earthquake (Reference #501). Lander et al. (Reference #537) suggests the effects at Kingston Harbor might be related to a submarine landslide. O'Loughlin and Lander (Reference #1492) suggest that a hurricane in Cuba may have triggered a seaquake.

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
Kingston HarborJamaica00.46Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1881The 1800sTsunamis of JamaicaThe 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 1124.