June 1, 1948 Tsunami: Off Northwest Coast, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake began at Off Northwest Coast, Indonesia on June 1, 1948 at 18:58:18 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
- June 1, 1948, 18:58:18 UTC
- Source
- Off Northwest Coast, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.3
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 6.000° N, 95.000° 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.
1948, June 2. An earthquake generated a tsunami which was observed at Sabang, north of Sumatra Island. [1.VI; 18h58m18s; 6 N, 95 E, M=6.3] (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabang, Sumatra | Indonesia | 43 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1948The 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 1783.