October 5, 1891 Tsunami: Timor Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Timor Sea, Indonesia on October 5, 1891. 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
- October 5, 1891
- Source
- Timor Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 9.000° S, 124.000° 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.
October 5, 1891, 20:15 (local time), 9 S, 124 E, depth 80 km, magnitude 7 MS. There was an earthquake on Timor and adjacent islands. At Maumere, there were heavy tremors lasting 20 seconds. At Trong, there were rather strong oscillations lasting 70 seconds; there was a mass of aftershocks. At Kupang, there was a very strong undulating movement. There were strong shocks at Babau, Pariri and Amasari, and several shocks at Ende. There was a strong earthquake for 20 seconds at Atapupu; there were many aftershocks. Oscillations in sea level also occurred during the first shock. The water rolled onto the coast of the bay with great force several times and rolled back at 5 minute intervals. (reference #414)
1891 Oct 06, 04:45. magnitude 7 (reference #4659)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atapupu | Indonesia | 93 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1891The 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 1190.