May 6, 1939 Tsunami: Tayabas Bay, Sulu Sea, Philippines
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake began at Tayabas Bay, Sulu Sea, Philippines on May 6, 1939 at 17:00:07 UTC. 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
- May 6, 1939, 17:00:07 UTC
- Source
- Tayabas Bay, Sulu Sea, Philippines
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.5, 110 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 13.500° N, 121.250° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #414:
1939, May 7, 1:00 [local time]. There was an earthquake with source in the Verde Passage... According to a chronicle (SN, 1939, vol. 29, No. 3), as a result of these shocks, the water in the wells became unusually warm, rocks rolled down from the hills and the ground cracked on Verde Island. Part of the island, beginning on 18.V [?] settled 1 m. Rothe's compendium (1941), adds that the island was flooded by the sea and the residents had to be evacuated. Gutenberg, Richter (1954): 6.V; 17h00m07s; 13.5 N, 121.25 E.; 110 km; M=6.5.
Reference #10958:
According to one report, water became unusually warm, fissures opened up and rockfalls occurred although the place where this occurred was not mentioned. It also mentioned that an island was flooded by the sea and the residents had to be evacuated. Due to uncertainty in the reports and the fact that the depth is too deep to generate a tsunami, the tsunami probability is ranked as “doubtful”.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verde Island | Philippines | 18 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1939The 1900sTsunamis of PhilippinesThe 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 1735.