February 13, 1938 Tsunami: Banda Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6 earthquake began at Banda Sea, Indonesia on February 13, 1938. The water rose as high as 0.5 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
- February 13, 1938
- Source
- Banda Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6
- Maximum water height
- 0.5 m (1.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 3.000° S, 132.300° E
The toll
- 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.
February 13, 1938, 3:35 [local time], magnitude 6. There was an earthquake on Pandjang Island at Fakfak. Rocks collapsed; the motor stopped at the lighthouse, and the cowl fell off the lamp; stucco cracked a bit in homes. Between 4:00 and 8:00, the lighthouse keeper observed tidal waves about 1/2 m high. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fakfak | Indonesia | 8 | 0.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1938The 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 1705.