April 18, 1968 Tsunami: Liguria-Cote D'Azur, Italy
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 4.6 earthquake began at Liguria-Cote D'Azur, Italy on April 18, 1968 at 19:38:15 UTC. The water rose as high as 3 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
- April 18, 1968, 19:38:15 UTC
- Source
- Liguria-Cote D'Azur, Italy
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 4.6, 7 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 3 m (9.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 44.080° N, 8.000° 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.
1968, April 18, 19:38:15 UTC. Liguria-Cote d/Azur. 44o05'N, 8oE, earthquake magnitude 3.6, intensity 5, tsunami reliability 4, intensity 2. Sea withdrawal-flooding at Alassio. (reference #4139)
1968, April 18, 19:38:15 UTC. 44.051 N, 8.037 E. Questionable tsunami. Earthquake coordinates, origin time, intensity (MCS scale) and magnitude from Rovida et al. (2016) (ref# 11456). At Alassio and along the coast, a small tsunami with waves of about 3 m was observed. The sea was very calm before and during the quake. The first movement was a withdrawal and then the water came back violently flooding the beach (Abbo et al., 1987). (reference #11164, v. 2)
1968 04 18, Liguria- Cote d/Azur. Definite tsunami. (reference #1392)
1968 04 18, Liguria: Weak shock in the Ligurian coast. At Alassio coast, a small tsunami 3 m high was observed after the shock. The first sea motion was a withdrawal and then the water came back violently flooding the beach. The earthquake size is too small to generate a tsunami, that could have been caused by a triggered submarine slide. (reference #10357)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alassio | Italy | 16 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1968The 1900sTsunamis of ItalyThe 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 3798.