It caused a damaging tsunami that was particularly severe near Padang, where a 150–200 t (170–220 short tons) English ship was driven 1 km (0.62 mi) inland up the Arau River.

The tsunami surge drove an English sailing ship of 150–200 t (170–220 short tons), moored in the Arau River, about 1 km (0.62 mi) inland, destroying several houses as it went.

[4] In Air Manis, the whole town was flooded and the bodies of several people who had climbed trees to escape the surge were found the next day in the branches.

[2] The magnitude of the earthquake has been estimated from uplift patterns determined from eroded coral microatolls in the range Mw 8.6–8.8.

Modelling of tsunami effects using source parameters estimated from the uplift of microatolls,[4] provide a reasonable match to the sparse historical records.