September 30, 2009 Tsunami: Sumatra, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Sumatra, Indonesia on September 30, 2009 at 10:16:09 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.27 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 1,117 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
- September 30, 2009, 10:16:09 UTC
- Source
- Sumatra, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 81 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.27 m (0.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 0.720° S, 99.867° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 1,117 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 1,214 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $2.2 billion with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 181,665 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 local tsunami was recorded at Padang, Sumatra.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padang, Sumatra | Indonesia | 65 | 0.27 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 30, 10:46 |
More
Every tsunami in 2009The 2000sTsunamis 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 4441.