January 21, 1994 Tsunami: Halmahera, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Halmahera, Indonesia on January 21, 1994 at 02:24:29 UTC. The water rose as high as 2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places. It killed 9 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
The tsunami
- Date
- January 21, 1994, 02:24:29 UTC
- Source
- Halmahera, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 20 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 2 m (6.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 1.015° N, 127.733° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 9 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 300 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 550 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.
A large surface wave magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the
Halmahera Island region of Indonesia on January 21, 1994, and caused a tsunami with a maximum runup of two meters... After the Halmahera earthquake of January 21, the Indonesia
Meteorological and Geophysical Agency sent a team to the site to investigate the effects of the earthquake and tsunami. The survey was conducted from January 25 to February 2. They reported that this earthquake was followed by a small tsunami with a height (run up) of less than one meter at the villages of Kao and Malifut (Halmahera Island). According to a local account, the tsunami height reached 2 meters (runup) to the north at the village of Payout (the MGA team did not confirm this report due to transportation difficulties in reaching the village). They said the earthquake caused much damage and killed two people, but NO tsunami casualties or damage were reported. (Reference #6790)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malifut, Halmahera Island | Indonesia | 20 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Kao, Halmahera Island | Indonesia | 25 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Payout, Halmahera Island | Indonesia | 85 | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1994The 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 2224.