January 3, 1930 Tsunami: Jiangsu Province, China
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake began at Jiangsu Province, China on January 3, 1930. 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
- January 3, 1930
- Source
- Jiangsu Province, China
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 5.5
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 32.200° N, 119.400° E
The toll
- Injuries
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- 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.
January 3, 1930, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, 32.2 N, 119.4 E, magnitude 5.5. Zhenjiang: Some boats were pushed to the bank, others ripped off mooring, driven into the river and capsized. (reference #3939)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province | China | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1930The 1900sTsunamis of ChinaThe 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 3569.