April 6, 2010 Tsunami: Sumatra, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake began at Sumatra, Indonesia on April 6, 2010 at 22:15:01 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.44 meters. Its effects were recorded at 6 places in at least 2 countries.
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
- April 6, 2010, 22:15:01 UTC
- Source
- Sumatra, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.8, 31 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.44 m (1.4 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 2.383° N, 97.048° E
The toll
- Injuries
- 22 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 64 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 949 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sibolga, Sumatra | Indonesia | 206 | 0.19 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 6, 23:33 | ||
| Meulaboh Port, Sumatra | Indonesia | 218 | 0.44 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 00:10 | ||
| Telukdalam, Sumatra | Indonesia | 219 | 0.17 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 6, 22:54 | ||
| Tanabalah, Sumatra | Indonesia | 361 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Padang, Sumatra | Indonesia | 527 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 00:32 | ||
| D23401 Bpr, 600 NM W-Nw of Phuket | Thailand | 1,186 | 0.01 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2010The 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 4763.