Tsunamis in 2004

August 24, 2004 Tsunami: Marseilles, France

August 24, 2004 · Probable tsunami

A tsunami caused by a landslide began at Marseilles, France on August 24, 2004. 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
August 24, 2004
Source
Marseilles, France
Cause
Landslide
Runups recorded
1
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Probable tsunami
Source location
43.300° N, 5.370° 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 submarine landslide occurred about 15 km far form the coast and after some minutes in Marseille, at the Pointe Rouge, the sea withdrew for about 20 m, so that the sea level in the harbour lowered for about 50 cm . The phenomenon lasted for about 30 min (BRGM, 2013). (reference #11164)

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
Pointe Rouge, MarseilleFrance7Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 2004The 2000sTsunamis of FranceThis 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 5845.