July 20, 1884 Tsunami: Offshore Massawa, Eritrea

Name: July 20, 1884 Tsunami: Offshore Massawa, Eritrea
Start: 1884-07-20
Location: Offshore Massawa, Eritrea

July 20, 1884 · Definite tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake began at Offshore Massawa, Eritrea on July 20, 1884 at 09:30 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date: July 20, 1884, 09:30 UTC
Source: Offshore Massawa, Eritrea
Cause: Earthquake
Earthquake: Magnitude 6.2
Runups recorded: 1
Waters: Ocean
How certain: Definite tsunami
Source location: 15.700° N, 39.600° E

The toll

Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Houses destroyed: Many (101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

July 20, 1884, Ethiopia. A damaging earthquake occurred in Eritrea, with an epicentre probably offshore from Massawa. High sea waves built up in the harbour at Massawa, especially in the bay between Taulud and Edaga Barai, and swept over the causeway. Ships in the harbour were seen to rock violently. Several times the sea flooded the land, leaving dead fish on the shore. The shocks were also strongly felt on the Dahlak islands. Aftershocks continued intermittent1y until October. Contrary to some catalogues, there is no indication that Cairo was affected by this earthquake. (reference #3845)

1884 - Massawa (present-day Mitsiwa), Eritrea. On 20 July 1884, an earthquake occurred at sea offshore from Massawa. Reportedly, sea waves built up in the Massawa harbor, mostly between the localities known as Taulud and Edaga Barai. The waves swept over a causeway and ships in the harbor were seen swaying violently. Multiple flooding from the sea over land left dead fish onshore. (reference #4083)

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
Masssawa	Eritrea	19			Eyewitness observation of water height

Every tsunami in 1884 The 1800s Tsunamis of Eritrea The earthquake This day in weather history Alerts 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 3645.