Tsunamis in 1969

April 12, 1969 Tsunami: Norsalv River, Sweden

April 12, 1969 · 5 m · Probable tsunami

A tsunami caused by a landslide began at Norsalv River, Sweden on April 12, 1969 at 05:44 UTC. The water rose as high as 5 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
April 12, 1969, 05:44 UTC
Source
Norsalv River, Sweden
Cause
Landslide
Maximum water height
5 m (16.4 ft)
Runups recorded
1
Waters
A lake or river, not the ocean
How certain
Probable tsunami
Source location
59.400° N, 13.500° 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.

At 05447 GMT, April 12, 1969, a landslide of sensitive sedimentary formations at the Norsalv River, 7 km north of Lake Vener in Sweden, blocked the river over a length of 750 m and generated waves in the river 4-5 m in height. (reference #3741)

Every runup

Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
Norsalv RiverSweden05Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1969The 1900sTsunamis of SwedenThis 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 3350.