June 3, 1909 Tsunami: Sumatra, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake began at Sumatra, Indonesia on June 3, 1909 at 18:40:48 UTC. 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 3, 1909, 18:40:48 UTC
- Source
- Sumatra, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.6, 40 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 2.000° S, 101.000° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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 June 4, 1909 at 1:41 [local time, June 3, 1909 18 40.8 UTC] there was a strong earthquake with source in the vicinity of Kerintji, off the western coast of Sumatra Island. A tidal wave, which may have done damage, occurred near the focal zone (at Tandjung, Pau, Muti and other places). Large movements of the water were observed at Kambang. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kambang | Indonesia | 50 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Tandjung | Indonesia | 516 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Pau | Indonesia | 2,373 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Muti | Indonesia | 2,373 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1909The 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 1376.