May 7, 1902 Tsunami: Soufriere Volcano, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Name: May 7, 1902 Tsunami: Soufriere Volcano, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Start: 1902-05-07
Location: Soufriere Volcano, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

May 7, 1902 · 1 m · 1,680 deaths · Definite tsunami

A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Soufriere Volcano, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on May 7, 1902. The water rose as high as 1 meters. Its effects were recorded at 6 places in at least 5 countries. It killed 1,680 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date: May 7, 1902
Source: Soufriere Volcano, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Cause: Volcano
Volcano: The eruption that caused it
Maximum water height: 1 m (3.3 ft)
Runups recorded: 6
Waters: Ocean
How certain: Definite tsunami
Source location: 13.330° N, 61.180° W

The toll

Deaths: 1,680 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Injuries: Many (about 101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Damage: Limited (under about $1 million) 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.

Tsunamis were produced when large mudflows entered the sea from the eruption of Soufriere St. Vincent. Robson and Tomblin (Reference #528) reported, "At its climax, pyroclast flows were emitted and swept down the major valleys leading to the west and east coasts, devastating all in their paths, and causing the death of 1,565 persons."

[...] tsunami-like disturbances of up to 1 meter wave were reported for the harbors of Grenada, Barbados, and Saint Lucia. Although the origin of these waves is not known with certainty, the most likely source could have been pyroclastic flows reaching the sea from violent eruption of Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent. Alternatively, the sea level disturbances could have been generated by a most likely unreported flank failure of Mt Pelee, which was also erupting at the time. (reference #1918 in #2823)

Reference #13722 attributes the tsunami wave to the eruption.

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	Measured by	First wave, UTC
Bequia	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	36	0.75	Eyewitness observation of water height	day 7, 07:14
Saint Lucia	Saint Lucia	65	1	Eyewitness observation of water height
Fort-De-France	Martinique	141		Eyewitness observation of water height
Grenada doubtful	Grenada	144	1	Eyewitness observation of water height
La Trinite	Martinique	157		Eyewitness observation of water height
Barbados	Barbados	179	1	Eyewitness observation of water height

Every tsunami in 1902 The 1900s Tsunamis of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines The eruption This day in weather history Alerts 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 2873.