December 30, 1910 Tsunami: Sulu Sea, Philippines
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake began at Sulu Sea, Philippines on December 30, 1910. 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
- December 30, 1910
- Source
- Sulu Sea, Philippines
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.2, 60 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- An event that only caused a seiche
- Source location
- 9.000° N, 125.500° 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.
Reference #414:
1910, December 30, 8:49 [local time], 9N, 125.5 E, magnitude 6.2, depth 60 km. There was an earthquake with pleistoseismic zone in the valley of the Agusan River. The movements were mild for the first 10 seconds, and vertical and horizontal shocks of enormous force were felt the rest of the time. As a result, light partitions fell, brickwork cracked, and bells rang by themselves. Large waves arose in the river and capsized a raft (Maso, 1910 b). [Seiches in the river?] Listed as questionable tsunami event.
Reference #10958:
1910, December 30. Large waves were observed in Agusan River causing one boat to capsize. Listed as seiche event.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butuan | Philippines | 7 | Other |
More
Every tsunami in 1910The 1900sTsunamis of PhilippinesThe 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 1391.