March 12, 1983 Tsunami: Banda Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake began at Banda Sea, Indonesia on March 12, 1983 at 01:36:35 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
- March 12, 1983, 01:36:35 UTC
- Source
- Banda Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.9, 17 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 3 m (9.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1.6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 4.056° S, 127.924° 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.
A magnitude 6.9 Mw (USGS) earthquake at 1:36 UT caused a 3 m local tsunami observed at Ceram, Indonesia. May have been due to a landslide generated by the earthquake. (reference #1315)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia: Seram Island | Indonesia | 52 | 3 |
More
Every tsunami in 1983The 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 2140.