Historical tsunamis · Apr 18, 1906, 1:12 PM UTC

1906 N. California tsunami

United States

The tsunami of Apr 18, 1906, 1:12 PM UTC originated near N. California (United States).

Key facts

Date
Apr 18, 1906, 1:12 PM UTC
Cause
Earthquake and landslide
Magnitude
M7.9
Depth
33 km
Maximum documented water height
0.10 m
Observation records
3
Countries affected
1

It was triggered by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake at a depth of 33 km.

The highest documented water height was 0.10 m (San Francisco, Ca, United States).

3 observation sites in 1 countries are recorded.

Map of observation sites

3

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) · Apr 18, 1906, 1:12 PM UTC
  2. 0:09 hUnited States · San Francisco, Ca · 0.10 m

1 places with a documented arrival time

Observations by country

CountryObservation recordsMaximum documented water heightDeathsEarliest arrival
United States30.10 m
San Francisco, Ca
—0:09 h

Highest documented water heights

3 / 3

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
San Francisco, Ca · Ca0.10 m12 kmUnited States
Bolinas, Ca · Ca—26 kmUnited States
Navarro River, Ca · Ca—193 kmUnited States

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.