November 12, 1884 Tsunami: N. California, United States

Rockwood (1885) reports, "The self-registering tide gage at Sausalito, California recorded a series of waves probably due to a submarine earthquake." These are described in the San Francisco Evening Bulletin of December 12th. "They commenced at eight o'clock in the morning and ended at eleven. Here are nine well marked crests in two and a half hours or only seventeen minutes apart. They are only two or three inches in height but maintain their characteristic earthquake features in plain contrast with the breaking bar marks which are very sharp and frequent. It would appear from the height and length of the waves that this submarine earthquake took place near our coasts and was not violent." The area experienced stormy weather on these dates. The Alta Californian (November 19, 1884) reports 0.2 inches of rain in San Francisco on the 12th and 1.2 inches at Los Angeles. The Monthly Weather Review reports winds at Cape Mendocino of 68 mph on the 6th, 62 mph on the 9th, 54 mph on the 10th, and 58 mph on the 14th. The marigram shows short period noise on the 6th and again on the 8th. Longer period waves begin on the 12th and the operator notes "submarine disturbance." There is no known source for a tsunami. The onset is emergent and given the known storm conditions this is probably a storm seiche. Validity 1 (Reference #237).

The tide gauge at Sausalito (San Francisco region) recorded movements of the water, probably caused by an underwater earthquake. They began at 8:00, continued until 11:00 and amounted to nine waves only a decimeter (a few inches) in height (Reference #415).