June 16, 2021 Tsunami: Banda Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake and a landslide began at Banda Sea, Indonesia on June 16, 2021 at 04:43:07 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.5 meters. Its effects were recorded at 6 places.
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
- June 16, 2021, 04:43:07 UTC
- Source
- Banda Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 5.8, 10 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1.5 m (4.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 3.593° S, 129.503° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 227 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.
Based on tidal data from the Tehoru Station (information from Mr. Abdul Muhari, BNPB) there are indications of abnormal sea levels about 3 minutes after the earthquake, which is around 50-60 cm. Amahai Station (west of Tehoru) did not detect any anomalies, so it is estimated that this small tsunami was caused by landslides on the underwater cliffs around the location of the epicenter which were triggered by the earthquake. (reference #12961)
On 16 of June 2021 a tsunami was observed on the southern coast of the Seram Island of EastIndonesia following an M5.9 earthquake. The tsunami registered a maximum wave amplitude of approximately 50 cm on the Tehoru tide gauge station while two other nearby tide gauge stations measured amplitudes of less than 4 cm. The tsunami waves in Tehoru arrived very early (approximately 2 min after the earthquake origin time) and their amplitudes were much larger than those normally expected from a tectonic tsunami generated by an M 5.9 earthquake with a normal faulting mechanism. These are indicators for a plausible secondary tsunami source triggered by the earthquake. A credible secondary source is a submarine landslide. (reference #13098)
The generation of a 51 cm tsunami from an Mw 5.9 earthquake is normally highly unlikely, and thus we speculate that a submarine landslide was potentially involved. There is strong evidence that supports the contribution of a submarine landslide. (reference #13297)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tehoru | Indonesia | 24 | 0.7 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Tehoru Coast | Indonesia | 24 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Mahu Coast | Indonesia | 29 | 0.5 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Saunulu Coast | Indonesia | 32 | 20 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Amahai | Indonesia | 71 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Banda | Indonesia | 112 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2021The 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 5788.