April 1, 1936 Tsunami: Sulawesi, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at Sulawesi, Indonesia on April 1, 1936 at 02:09:15 UTC. The water rose as high as 3 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
- April 1, 1936, 02:09:15 UTC
- Source
- Sulawesi, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7, 60 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 3 m (9.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 4.500° N, 126.500° E
The toll
- Injuries
- 3 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 169 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.
1936, April 1, 10:10. There was a destructive earthquake on Sangihe and the Talaud Islands. On Salebabu Island, the sea retreated 500 m from shore and exposed the floor of the bay; the channel of the river also dried up. However, the water then rose again and surpassed the usual flood tide level by 3 m. This phenomenon recurred eight times during the day. At Beo, sea water leaked into a well at the church mission. At Manganitu, on Sangihe Island, during the ebb phase, the water rose to the flood tide level twice between 10:00 and 12:00 [Local Time]. The tsunami was less intensive on the western coast of the island than on the eastern coast.
(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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salebabu Island | Indonesia | 84 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Manganitu, Sangihe Island | Indonesia | 149 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1936The 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 1690.