Historical tsunamis · Dec 6, 1917, 1:04 PM UTC

1917 Halifax, Nova Scotia tsunami

Canada

The tsunami of Dec 6, 1917, 1:04 PM UTC originated near Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada).

Key facts

Date
Dec 6, 1917, 1:04 PM UTC
Cause
Explosion
Maximum documented water height
7.00 m
Deaths
2,000
Injuries
9,000
Observation records
5
Countries affected
1

Cause according to NOAA/NCEI: Explosion.

The highest documented water height was 7.00 m (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada).

5 observation sites in 1 countries are recorded.

The database records 2,000 deaths.

All tsunamis in CanadaRecord at NOAA/NCEI ↗

Map of observation sites

5

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) · Dec 6, 1917, 1:04 PM UTC
  2. 0:02 hCanada · Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

4 places with a documented arrival time

Observations by country

CountryObservation recordsMaximum documented water heightDeathsEarliest arrival
Canada57.00 m
Halifax, Nova Scotia		160:02 h

Highest documented water heights

5 / 5

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
Halifax, Nova Scotia · Ns7.00 m0 kmCanada
Bedford, Nova Scotia · Ns—12 kmCanada
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia · Ns—4 kmCanada
Tufts Cove, Nova Scotia · Ns—5 kmCanada
Turtle Grove, Nova Scotia · Ns—5 kmCanada

More tsunamis in Canada

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.