November 11, 1921 Tsunami: Philippine Trench, Philippines
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Philippine Trench, Philippines on November 11, 1921 at 18:36:08 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
- November 11, 1921, 18:36:08 UTC
- Source
- Philippine Trench, Philippines
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 8.000° N, 127.000° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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:
1921, November 7, 0:02 [local time]. There was an
earthquake with source off the southeastern coast of Mindanao Island in the form of sudden vertical shocks. Many recurrent shocks occurred; their frequency markedly decreased by the 10th but began to increase again on the 11th. The main earthquake struck at night on the 12th, and was accompanied by a large number of aftershocks.
After the main earthquake, a tsunami arose, which inundated the low-lying coasts of several bays, for example, at Manay, and did some damage to structures and plantations there. The tsunami was also observed at Manganitu on Sangihe Island.
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caraga Bay, Mindanao Island | Philippines | 89 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Manay, Mindanao Island | Philippines | 101 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Mati, Mindanao Island | Philippines | 145 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Manganitu, Sangihe Island | Philippines | 515 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1921The 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 1491.