August 27, 1886 Tsunami: Ionian Sea, Greece
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake began at Ionian Sea, Greece on August 27, 1886 at 21:32 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 326 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- August 27, 1886, 21:32 UTC
- Source
- Ionian Sea, Greece
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.8
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 37.100° N, 21.700° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 326 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 796 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 6,000 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.
1886, August 27. Ionian Sea, Greece. An extremely strong earthquake with its the south-western shore of Peloponnesus occurred... The submerged cable between the Islands of Zakynthos and Strofades was torn off. The generated tsunami waves threw several boats out onto the coast in Yialova (to the north of Pylos); the sea near Agrilos (to the north of Filiatra) advanced deep onto dry land for 10 - 15 m. It was reported that the tsunami was observed up to Izmir. (reference #2130)
In the seaside of Agrilio, north of Philiatra, a sea wave (tsunami) was observed which covered for a while a belt of 10 up to 15m wide. In Cephalonia and in Zante, the earthquake did not cause damage, it was long and lasted 32 sec. With a long duration it was also felt in Heraklio, while in Jannena it shook the whole city and frightened the inhabitants. In the harbor of Patra it caused subsidence. It was felt in Triest, Malta, Syria, Alexandria, Cairo and in Asia Minor. (reference #4408)
At Agrilia, north of Filiatra, the sea flooded the coast to a depth of 15 m, and fishing boats were carried onto land. (reference #9116)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agrilos | Greece | 14 | 15 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Yialova | Greece | 17 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Izmir (Smyrna) | Turkey | 500 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1886The 1800sTsunamis of GreeceThe 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 1164.