January 10, 1900 Tsunami: Galela, Halmahera Island, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Galela, Halmahera Island, Indonesia on January 10, 1900. 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
- January 10, 1900
- Source
- Galela, Halmahera Island, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 1.820° N, 127.850° 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.
1900, January 10, 3:15 [local time]. At Galela (Halmahera Island), there were strong undulating tremors; a seaquake or a tsunami (zeebeving) was observed at the same time (Anon., 1902). (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galela, Halmahera Island | Indonesia | 0 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1900The 1900sTsunamis 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 5459.