March 16, 1917 Tsunami: Java Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Java Sea, Indonesia on March 16, 1917. The water rose as high as 1.5 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 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
- March 16, 1917
- Source
- Java Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Unknown
- Maximum water height
- 1.5 m (4.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 3.700° S, 116.600° E
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.
March 16, 1917. According to the lighthouse keeper on the
Sambergelap Islands (off Kalimantan Island), a flood tide appeared from the southeast at 8:00. The level of the water rose 1.5 m (5 feet) in ten minutes, and then fell rapidly to the usual height. At that time, it was the flood tide phase, and a northeastern wind was blowing. On the same day, in the morning, a tidal wave was observed at Pagatan, where great damage was done. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sambergelap Islands | Indonesia | 4 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Pagatan | Indonesia | 75 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1917The 1900sTsunamis of IndonesiaThis 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 1443.