May 19, 1938 Tsunami: Makassar Strait, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at Makassar Strait, Indonesia on May 19, 1938 at 17:08:47 UTC. The water rose as high as 3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 7 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 17 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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 19, 1938, 17:08:47 UTC
- Source
- Makassar Strait, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7, 35 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 3 m (9.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 7
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1.6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 0.045° S, 120.537° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 17
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million); Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100); 942 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.
On May 20, 1938 at 1:00 [local time, May 19, 17:08:21 UTC] there was a destructive earthquake with source in Tomini Bay. Following the earthquake, a tidal wave 2-3 m high, according to some sources, surged onto the coast of the bay from about Toribulu to Parigi. At Toribulu, the sea suddenly retreated 80 m and then returned with force. Between Lemo and Makatate, 14 villages suffered from the wave. In places, the water encroached 40-80 m inland. Seventeen people drowned, one at Ampibabo and the rest at Parigi. At Parigi, a pier was washed away, and warehouses and navigation signals were damaged. Many cattle and coconuts were washed away. Oscillations in sea level with a range of 8 cm were registered by the tide gauge at Santa Monica, CA. [D. Cox investigated the marigram and arrived at the conclusion that it was a usual seiche and not the Indonesian tsunami.] (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parigi | Indonesia | 41 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 16 | ||
| Toribulu | Indonesia | 68 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Ampibabo, Molucca Islands, Sulawesi | Indonesia | 69 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 1 | |||
| Lemo - Makatate | Indonesia | 94 | 80 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Mambara (Mamboro), Sulawesi | Indonesia | 111 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Donggala | Indonesia | 112 | 100 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Santa Monica, CA, CA doubtful | United States | 12,829 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave 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 1710.