July 29, 1885 Tsunami: Ajerbangis, Sumatra, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake began at Ajerbangis, Sumatra, Indonesia on July 29, 1885. 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
- July 29, 1885
- Source
- Ajerbangis, Sumatra, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.8
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 0.000° N, 99.500° E
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.
1885, July 29, 23:34 (local time), 0 S, 99.5 E, magnitude 6.75. At Ajerbangis, there was an earthquake of magnitude 6 degrees (VI1 Rossi-Forel) lasting seconds. It was preceded and accompanied by an underground rumble, which came from the sea and was like the noise of suddenly intensifying surf. Waves began to break on shore with great force. (reference #414)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajerbangis, Sumatra | Indonesia | 26 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1885The 1800sTsunamis of IndonesiaThe 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 1154.