August 15, 1950 Tsunami: India-China

Name: August 15, 1950 Tsunami: India-China
Start: 1950-08-15
Location: India-China

August 15, 1950 · 0.5 m · 1,530 deaths · $20 million · Questionable tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.6 earthquake began at India-China on August 15, 1950 at 14:09:30 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.5 meters. Its effects were recorded at 41 places in at least 3 countries. It killed 1,530 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date: August 15, 1950, 14:09:30 UTC
Source: India-China
Cause: Earthquake
Earthquake: Magnitude 8.6, 33 km deep
Maximum water height: 0.5 m (1.6 ft)
Runups recorded: 41
Waters: A lake or river, not the ocean
How certain: Questionable tsunami
Source location: 28.500° N, 96.500° E

The toll

Deaths: 1,530 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Damage: $20 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.

The "Great Assam Earthquake" caused fluctuations in the Brahamaputra river (reference #96), and also caused unusual waves in fjords and lakes in Norway and England. (Reference #545)

Reference #12345 list source region as Northeast Atlantic (specifically Norwegian coast & England) with a validity of 3 (probable tsunami) and an unknown cause.

Note: Many references (e.g., reference #3436, #3438) discussing artificial dams on rivers following the earthquake due to slides. The dams eventually failed and caused flooding.

Note: the validity assigned to this tsunami event is for the local/regional runup observation. Runup observations of waves in distant locations (i.e., Norway, England) are attributed as seiches.

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	Measured by
Brahamaputra River	India	742		Eyewitness observation of water height
Lake West of Kloftfje	Norway	6,864	0.05	Other
Jektvikosen	Norway	6,872	0.2	Other
Ronsjoen	Norway	6,956	0.1	Other
Byneset	Norway	7,034	0.27	Other
Fjora	Norway	7,201		Other
Sylte	Norway	7,202		Other
Ardalstangen	Norway	7,208	0.1	Other
Geiranger	Norway	7,212		Other
Oksvik	Norway	7,219	0.5	Other
Slogstad	Norway	7,221	0.5	Other
Stranda	Norway	7,221	0.3	Other
Riksheim	Norway	7,237	0.5	Other
Innvik	Norway	7,248	0.15	Other
Slinde	Norway	7,252	0.25	Other
Bognstrand	Norway	7,266	0.15	Other
Vikane	Norway	7,284	0.37	Other
Botsvann	Norway	7,287	0.05	Other
Kvandal	Norway	7,289		Other
Odda	Norway	7,303		Other
Saele	Norway	7,305	0.1	Other
Porsmyr	Norway	7,309	0.25	Other
Tyssen	Norway	7,322	0.12	Other
Heimvik	Norway	7,332	0.25	Other
Haugsdal	Norway	7,334	0.05	Other
Hatleskarvatn	Norway	7,336	0.25	Other
Sunnfjord	Norway	7,338		Other
Eidsheimsvag	Norway	7,340		Other
Sundvor	Norway	7,343	0.1	Other
Reknesvag	Norway	7,344	0.07	Other
Askelandsvag	Norway	7,345	0.1	Other
Indrevagen	Norway	7,345		Other
Nesbjor	Norway	7,347		Other
Toftevag	Norway	7,355		Other
Steinsvik	Norway	7,361	0.15	Other
Utskott	Norway	7,361	0.25	Other
Klinkholmen	Norway	7,366		Other
Gauselbukt	Norway	7,382	0.05	Other
Margate, England	United Kingdom	7,922	0.02	Other
Chichester, England	United Kingdom	8,085	0.02	Other
Portsmouth, Hampshire, England	United Kingdom	8,108	0.01	Other

Every tsunami in 1950 The 1900s Tsunamis of India The earthquake This day in weather history Alerts 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 1806.