March 23, 1908 Tsunami: Timor Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake began at Timor Sea, Indonesia on March 23, 1908 at 12:20 UTC. 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 23, 1908, 12:20 UTC
- Source
- Timor Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.6
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
- Source location
- 10.000° S, 129.000° E
The toll
- 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.
On March 23 after 20:00 [local time] there was a strong earthquake all over Timor Island. At Atapupu [evidently mistakenly dated March 24], oscillations lasted about 3 minutes. Fishermen at sea were rocked heavily for a short time. A ship in the passage between the island of Timor and Alor felt a very strong seaquake. At Ende, the anchor chain of a ship knocked against the bottom repeatedly during the earthquake. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atapupu doubtful | Indonesia | 469 | Eyewitness 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 1369.