Historical tsunamis · Sep 9, 1954, 1:04 AM UTC
1954 Sea of Alboran tsunami
Algeria
The tsunami of Sep 9, 1954, 1:04 AM UTC originated near Sea of Alboran (Algeria).
Key facts
- Date
- Sep 9, 1954, 1:04 AM UTC
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Magnitude
- M6.7
- Depth
- 15 km
- Maximum documented water height
- 0.33 m
- Deaths
- 1,243
- Injuries
- 5,000
- Houses destroyed
- 20,000
- Damage
- US$ 6.0 million
- Observation records
- 4
- Countries affected
- 1
It was triggered by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake at a depth of 15 km.
The highest documented water height was 0.33 m (Malaga, Spain).
4 observation sites in 1 countries are recorded.
Outside the source country, the earliest documented arrival was at Alicante (Spain) after 0:48 h.
The database records 1,243 deaths.
Houses destroyed: 20,000.
Damage is estimated at US$ 6.0 million.
Map of observation sites
4Each 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.
- 0:00 hEarthquake (origin) · Sep 9, 1954, 1:04 AM UTC
- 0:48 hSpain · Alicante · 0.27 m
4 places with a documented arrival time
Observations by country
| Country | Observation records | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Earliest arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spain | 4 | 0.33 m Malaga | — | 0:48 h |
Highest documented water heights
4 / 4Individual documented observations for this event. Heights come from different measurement types and sources; not every location has a measured height.
| Location / station | Observed height | Distance from source | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaga | 0.33 m | 541 km | Spain |
| Alicante | 0.27 m | 295 km | Spain |
| Ceuta | 0.07 m | 624 km | Spain |
| Algeciras | 0.05 m | 632 km | Spain |
More tsunamis
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.