May 12, 2008 Tsunami: Sichuan Province, China
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake began at Sichuan Province, China on May 12, 2008 at 06:28:00 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 87,652 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
- May 12, 2008, 06:28:00 UTC
- Source
- Sichuan Province, China
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.9, 10 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- An event that only caused a seiche
- Source location
- 30.980° N, 103.396° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 87,652 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 374,171 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $86 billion with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 5,360,000 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.
On May 12, 2008, at 06:28:00 UTC (2:28 PM local time in China), an earthquake occurred 90 km WNW of Chengdu, Sichuan, China and 1545 km SW of Beijing, China. Seiches were observed at Kotalipara, Bangladesh. (reference #1053)
Reference #12345 lists event as a validity 1 (very doubtful tsunami). (Accessed July 2024)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kotalipara | Bangladesh | 1,597 | Other |
More
Every tsunami in 2008The 2000sTsunamis of ChinaThe 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 3586.