Historical tsunamis · Apr 11, 2012, 8:38 AM UTC
2012 Off W. Coast of N Sumatra tsunami
Indonesia
The tsunami of Apr 11, 2012, 8:38 AM UTC originated near Off W. Coast of N Sumatra (Indonesia).
Key facts
- Date
- Apr 11, 2012, 8:38 AM UTC
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Magnitude
- M8.6
- Depth
- 20 km
- Maximum documented water height
- 1.08 m
- Deaths
- 10
- Injuries
- 12
- Damage
- limited (under US$ 1 million)
- Observation records
- 25
- Countries affected
- 11
It was triggered by a magnitude 8.6 earthquake at a depth of 20 km.
The highest documented water height was 1.08 m (Meulaboh Port, Sumatra, Indonesia).
25 observation sites in 11 countries are recorded.
Outside the source country, the earliest documented arrival was at D23327 Bpr, Bay of Bengal (India) after 0:39 h.
The database records 10 deaths.
Damage is estimated at limited (under US$ 1 million).
Map of observation sites
25Each 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) · Apr 11, 2012, 8:38 AM UTC
- 0:39 hIndia · D23327 Bpr, Bay of Bengal · 0.05 m
- 0:59 hThailand · D23401 Bpr, 600 Nm W-NW of Phuket · 0.05 m
- 1:04 hIndonesia · Sabang, Sumatra · 0.37 m
- 2:07 hAustralia · Cocos Island (Keeling) · 0.08 m
- 2:36 hSri Lanka · Trincomalee · 0.11 m
- 2:41 hMaldives · Gan · 0.04 m
- 5:12 hMauritius · Rodrigues Island, Port Mathurin · 0.22 m
- 6:49 hReunion (French Territory) · Reunion · 0.05 m
- 7:10 hSeychelles · Pointe la Rue, Mahe Island · 0.10 m
- 22:17 hBangladesh · Chittagong · 0.23 m
- 29:44 hMyanmar (Burma) · Sittwe · 0.08 m
19 places with a documented arrival time
Observations by country
| Country | Observation records | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Earliest arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 5 | 1.08 m Meulaboh Port, Sumatra | — | 1:04 h |
 India | 6 | 0.30 m Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar Is. | — | 0:39 h |
 Maldives | 3 | 0.23 m Hanimaadhoo, Haa Dhaalu | — | 2:41 h |
 Bangladesh | 1 | 0.23 m Chittagong | — | 22:17 h |
 Mauritius | 2 | 0.22 m Rodrigues Island, Port Mathurin | — | 5:12 h |
 Sri Lanka | 1 | 0.11 m Trincomalee | — | 2:36 h |
 Seychelles | 1 | 0.10 m Pointe la Rue, Mahe Island | — | 7:10 h |
 Australia | 2 | 0.08 m Cocos Island (Keeling) | — | 2:07 h |
 Myanmar (Burma) | 1 | 0.08 m Sittwe | — | 29:44 h |
 Thailand | 2 | 0.05 m D23401 Bpr, 600 Nm W-NW of Phuket | — | 0:59 h |
| Reunion (French Territory) | 1 | 0.05 m Reunion | — | 6:49 h |
Highest documented water heights
15 / 25Individual 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meulaboh Port, Sumatra · Aceh | 1.08 m | 395 km | Indonesia |
| Sabang, Sumatra · Aceh | 0.37 m | 463 km | Indonesia |
| Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar Is. · Andaman and Nicobar | 0.30 m | 511 km | India |
| Telukdalam, Sumatra · North Sumatra | 0.24 m | 564 km | Indonesia |
| Chittagong | 0.23 m | 2,210 km | Bangladesh |
| Hanimaadhoo, Haa Dhaalu | 0.23 m | 2,261 km | Maldives |
| Rodrigues Island, Port Mathurin | 0.22 m | 4,052 km | Mauritius |
| Male | 0.21 m | 2,182 km | Maldives |
| Chennai (Madras) · Tamil Nadu | 0.18 m | 1,842 km | India |
| Port Louis Harbour | 0.17 m | 4,610 km | Mauritius |
| Enggano Island · Bengkulu | 0.14 m | 1,345 km | Indonesia |
| Nancowry Island · Andaman and Nicobar | 0.12 m | 625 km | India |
| Trincomalee | 0.11 m | 1,481 km | Sri Lanka |
| Pointe la Rue, Mahe Island | 0.10 m | 4,246 km | Seychelles |
| Visakhapatnam · Andhra Pradesh | 0.10 m | 2,004 km | India |
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.