March 15, 1897 Tsunami: Flores Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake began at Flores Sea, Indonesia on March 15, 1897. 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
- March 15, 1897
- Source
- Flores Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 5.5, 15 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 6.800° S, 120.800° 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.
1897, March 15, 6:30 [local time]. There was a strong earthquake on Kajuadi Island. It was accompanied by a thunderous roar coming from the water... According to an eyewitness, a half hour after the start of the tremors, a cry went up that the water was rising. Reaching the shore, he saw that a wide roller had arisen far from shore. It soon broke up into three waves. One of them went out to sea; another advanced on Bonelamber settlement, on the western side of the island, but broke on the reefs protruding from the water here. The third wave rolled onto the coast at the settlement and advanced beyond the usual flood tide line, but did not reach the homes. The water was an unusual green color. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kajuadi Island | Indonesia | 0 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1897The 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 1238.