May 14, 1921 Tsunami: Makassar Strait, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake began at Makassar Strait, Indonesia on May 14, 1921 at 11:17:45 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 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
The tsunami
- Date
- May 14, 1921, 11:17:45 UTC
- Source
- Makassar Strait, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.2
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 0.700° N, 117.900° E
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) 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.
May 14, 1921. There was an earthquake on Kalimantan Island with a maximal intensity of 7 degrees (VIII - Rossi-Forel). The earthquake generated tidal waves, which caused considerable damage at Sekurau (according to eyewitnesses, the water inundated the road to a depth of 1 m). [14.V: llh17m45s; 0.7 deg N . , 117.9 deg E.; M=6.2. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sekurah | Indonesia | 971 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1921The 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 1489.