December 21, 1951 Tsunami: Gansu and Shanxi Provinces, China
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake began at Gansu and Shanxi Provinces, China on December 21, 1951 at 08:37:29 UTC. The water rose as high as 2 meters. 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
- December 21, 1951, 08:37:29 UTC
- Source
- Gansu and Shanxi Provinces, China
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.3
- Maximum water height
- 2 m (6.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 26.700° N, 100.000° 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.
December 21, 1951, 16:37:29 local time, Jianchuan, Yunnan Province, 26.7 N, 100 E, magnitude 6.25. The water of Jianhu Lake flowed backward for 1-1.5 km with waves 1-2 m high and overflowed the banks. (reference #3939)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jianhu Lake | China | 64 | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1951The 1900sTsunamis of ChinaThe 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 3571.