June 24, 1901 Tsunami: Ryukyu Islands, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Ryukyu Islands, Japan on June 24, 1901. The water rose as high as 0.25 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 places.
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
- June 24, 1901
- Source
- Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.25 m (0.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -2.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 28.000° N, 130.300° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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.
Reference #414:
1901 June 24, 16:04 local time. Validity 2. A very weak tsunami was observed on the Ryukyu Islands. At Hosojima (Kyusyu Islands), the height of the wave was 20-25 cm. The assumed travel time of the tsunami to Aburatsu was 55 minutes.
Reference #150:
1901, June 24, 16:02. Validity 4, tsunami magnitude -1. 28 N, 130 E, magnitude 7.5 MS. Hosojima 24cm high. Some damage at Naze, Okinawa Pref.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amami Oshima Ryuky | Japan | 162 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Aburatsu | Japan | 411 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Naze, Okinawa Prefecture | Japan | 481 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Hososhima | Japan | 509 | 0.25 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1901The 1900sTsunamis of JapanThe 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 1279.