Historical tsunamis · Aug 27, 1883, 2:59 AM UTC

1883 Krakatau tsunami

Indonesia

The tsunami of Aug 27, 1883, 2:59 AM UTC originated near Krakatau (Indonesia).

Key facts

Date
Aug 27, 1883, 2:59 AM UTC
Cause
Volcanic eruption
Maximum documented water height
41.0 m
Deaths
36,417
Houses destroyed
very many (over 1,000)
Damage
extreme (over US$ 25 million)
Observation records
99
Countries affected
18

Cause according to NOAA/NCEI: Volcanic eruption.

The highest documented water height was 41.0 m (Merak, Java, Indonesia).

99 observation sites in 18 countries are recorded.

Outside the source country, the earliest documented arrival was at Port Blair, Andaman Islands (India) after 4:00 h.

The database records 36,417 deaths.

Houses destroyed: very many (over 1,000).

Damage is estimated at extreme (over US$ 25 million).

All tsunamis in IndonesiaRecord at NOAA/NCEI ↗

Map of observation sites

99

Each dot is a documented observation site; colour and size show the observed water height. The triangle marks the source.

Tsunami arrival times

Documented arrival times from the NOAA/NCEI database, showing the earliest recorded location per country. Coverage is incomplete: a country without an entry was not necessarily spared.

  1. 0:00 hEarthquake (origin)
  2. 4:00 hIndia · Port Blair, Andaman Islands · 0.15 m
  3. 5:00 hSri Lanka · Galle, Sir Lankda · 1.20 m
  4. 5:15 hAustralia · Cossack · 1.50 m
  5. 6:30 hMauritius · Mathurin Bay (Port Mathurin) · 0.60 m
  6. 10:00 hUnited States · Honolulu, Oahu, Hi · 0.14 m
  7. 12:00 hYemen · Aden · 0.19 m
  8. 13:30 hSouth Africa · Port Elizabeth · 0.79 m
  9. 13:30 hUK Territory · Port Moltke, South Georgia Islands · 0.24 m
  10. 17:30 hPanama · Colon · 0.20 m
  11. 31:30 hFrance · Le Havre · 0.28 m
  12. 34:00 hChile · Talcahuano · 0.35 m
  13. 37:00 hNew Zealand · Auckland · 1.80 m

20 places with a documented arrival time

Observations by country

CountryObservation recordsMaximum documented water heightDeathsEarliest arrival
Indonesia2641.0 m
Merak, Java		36,000—
Reunion (French Territory)57.00 m
Saint Paul		——
Sri Lanka83.60 m
Hambantota		15:00 h
New Zealand142.40 m
Lyttelton		—37:00 h
India112.00 m
Chennai (Madras)		—4:00 h
Australia101.80 m
Geraldton		—5:15 h
South Africa40.79 m
Port Elizabeth		—13:30 h
Mauritius40.60 m
Mathurin Bay (Port Mathurin)		—6:30 h
France40.40 m
Rochefort (La Rochelle-Pallice)		—31:30 h
Chile20.35 m
Talcahuano		—34:00 h
Seychelles10.30 m
Victoria, Mahe Island		——
Pakistan10.29 m
Karachi		——
United Kingdom20.24 m
Devonport (Plymouth), England		——
UK Territory10.24 m
Port Moltke, South Georgia Islands		—13:30 h
United States30.20 m
Kodiak Island, Ak		—10:00 h
Panama10.20 m
Colon		—17:30 h
Yemen10.19 m
Aden		—12:00 h
USA Territory1———

Highest documented water heights

15 / 99

Individual documented observations for this event. Heights come from different measurement types and sources; not every location has a measured height.

Location / stationObserved heightDistance from sourceCountry
Merak, Java · Banten41.00 m67 kmIndonesia
Sunda Strait30.00 m38 kmIndonesia
Telok Batong, Sumatra · Sunda Strait24.00 m38 kmIndonesia
Teluk Betung, Sumatra · Lampung22.00 m74 kmIndonesia
Tyringen, Java · Banten20.00 m47 kmIndonesia
Vlakke Hock, Java · Sunda Strait15.00 m38 kmIndonesia
Anjer, Java · Banten10.00 m59 kmIndonesia
Saint Paul7.00 m5,646 kmReunion (French Territory)
Painan, Sumatra · West Sumatra4.00 m752 kmIndonesia
Hambantota3.60 m3,020 kmSri Lanka
Saint Gilles3.50 m5,651 kmReunion (French Territory)
Batavia, Java · Jakarta2.58 m147 kmIndonesia
Java Island · Central Java2.50 m543 kmIndonesia
Lyttelton · Canterbury2.40 m7,723 kmNew Zealand
Pino, Sumatra · West Java2.10 m884 kmIndonesia

More tsunamis in Indonesia

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Historical Tsunami Database. Confirmed events only. Deaths and damage are database estimates; older records are incomplete. Water heights come from different types of observation.