June 22, 1939 Tsunami: Gold Coast, Ghana
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake began at Gold Coast, Ghana on June 22, 1939 at 19:19:33 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 2 places. It killed 22 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
- June 22, 1939, 19:19:33 UTC
- Source
- Gold Coast, Ghana
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4, 13 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 5.568° N, 0.625° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 22 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 130 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 1,500 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.
June 22, 1939, Gold Coast. Epicenter approximately 5 deg 15 min N, 0 deg 10 min W. Earthquake devastated the Gold Coast. Shock felt at sea between Accra (5 deg 33 min N, 0 deg 13 min W) and Fete (5 deg 25 min N, 0 deg 29 min W). At Labadi (5 deg 33 min N, 0 deg 09 min W) and Tishi the sea surface was agitated. (reference #41)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labadi | Ghana | 45 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Tishi | Ghana | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1939The 1900sTsunamis of GhanaThe 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 1736.