Tsunamis in 1908

February 6, 1908 Tsunami: SW. Sumatra, Indonesia

February 6, 1908 · 1.4 m · Probable tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at SW. Sumatra, Indonesia on February 6, 1908. The water rose as high as 1.4 meters. 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
February 6, 1908
Source
SW. Sumatra, Indonesia
Cause
Earthquake
Maximum water height
1.4 m (4.6 ft)
Runups recorded
1
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
1
Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
0.5
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Probable tsunami
Source location
2.000° S, 100.000° 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.

February 6, 1908, 8:00 [local time], 2 or 5 S, 100 E, depth 130 km, magnitude 7.5. There was an earthquake with source off the western coast of Sumatra Island. The earthquake was accompanied by a tidal wave, which reached the street at Sikakap. (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.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
SikakapIndonesia88Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1908The 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 1367.